The Mating Game
by Fyyrrose
Summary: Kagome has been dragged into Sesshomaru's mating challenge. In order to save her pack's reputation she's forced to play. It's a battle of past vs. future and Kagome is playing to win. How far is she willing to go to succeed in this game? Story told in segments.
1. Part I

**Title** : The Mating Game

 **Rating** : M – for language and later chapter(s) which contains mature matter.

 **Pairings** : Sess/Kag ; Inu/Kik

 **Disclaimer** : Sadly I do not own Inuyasha. I am merely using the characters for my own sadistic pleasures. So thank you very much for allowing me to do so.

 **Summary** : Kagome has been dragged into Sesshomaru's mating challenge. In order to save her pack's reputation she's forced to play. It's a battle of past vs. future and Kagome is playing to win. How far is she willing to go to succeed in this game? Story told in segments.

 **Notes** : I was at work one day back in 2008 and I was reading through a new magazine which had the different types of sugar through the ages and this story idea came from that. How? Why? … No idea! Then, like all my story ideas, it morphed and evolved into this. I do hope you enjoy. This story is 75% written.

* * *

Part 1

When Kagome emerged from the well carrying the massive cargo, the first thought running through her mind was to scream for Inuyasha. She was going to make the strong half demon carry what he should have been here to carry in the first place!

Then she was going to 'sit' his sorry ass for making her carry out the heavy and awkward cargo from the depths of the well. If she had Inuyasha's strength, she would have placed everything in a giant plastic bin. However, she could only carry partial of his strength, so everything went into bags and that meant there were MANY heavy bags, and many trips back and forth through the well.

Kagome collapsed against the well once everything was brought up. After shard hunting for four years, the supplies needed grew. Ramen, chocolate, food, bathing supplies, herbs, material, medical supplies, art projects to keep Shippo occupied, schoolwork… the list was endless.

She closed her eyes and relaxed against the splintered wood while she regained her strength and wondered how she was going to get all this down to the village. She had no more strength. Those bags were a workout.

She didn't know how long she snoozed, but the gentle kick to the sole of her shoe told her she was no longer alone in the woods. Kagome cracked open an eye half expecting it to be Inuyasha. She opened her mouth to give him a good tongue lashing about being late, and realized it wasn't Inuyasha in front of her.

There were three strong male demons on either side of her, effectively blocking any escape path. Today was not Kagome's day. Her mind raced with all the good and bad possibilities that would come out of this. If necessary she could escape through the well, or if she was stupid lucky, she could purify all three of them with no weapon. There was a bow at Kaede's and one sitting in the well house at home. With all the supplies she brought through the well, she knew something had to get left behind. She only forgot the life saving weapon—of course. That was Kagome's luck.

Trying the diplomatic angle first was always her best option. "Good afternoon gentlemen, how may I help you?" She managed to keep her voice from cracking in fright.

"Lady Kikyo, you are to be prepared and presented to our Lord." The dog demon to her right told her.

Kagome blinked a few times looking at him, "Why?" was the first thing out of her mouth. She wasn't Kikyo, but she was curious why a demon lord would request one of the most famous and powerful priestesses of this time.

"Our Lord is furious you mated the next crowned Lord without permission or consent of the elders."

Kagome's mind drew a blank. "Huh?" She asked confused as all hell. "What?" Who the hell did Kikyo mate? She was too busy shacking up with Inuyasha in the woods…

Inuyasha? Make a commitment? Like he could commit to anything but ramen and shard hunting!

"Lord Sesshomaru is upset at your and Lord Inuyasha's disrespectful act on the Lord's house, especially on the eve of his own event of taking a mate. You are to come with us to beg for forgiveness before the Lord and the House. Hopefully, if you come willingly, the Lord will be merciful with his punishment."

Kagome sat there digesting everything. Inuyasha actually made Kikyo his mate? How could he not tell her? Tears were starting to well up at the back of her eyes.

"It's okay my Lady, I'm sure our Lord will forgive you. You are human after all." The dog demon tried to console her.

"Come, my lady, we must leave before the other arrives. Lord Inuyasha warned us to avoid the other priestess that frequents this forest. His words were to grab Kikyo and get back here before Kagome shows up." The second dog demon looked like he was quoting verbatim, which was highly possible.

"This Kagome chick sounds like she's someone I wouldn't want to meet on a dark night. If Lord Inuyasha wants to avoid her she must be evil and scary." The first one commented.

Kagome bit her lip. She swallowed the large lump at the back of her throat. She was stuck between crying and raging. Instead, she came up with a plan of sweet revenge. She, after all, was a teenager from the 21st century. Inuyasha was going to wish he could time travel like she could when she was done with him.

"You are absolutely right." Kagome tried to keep her voice even and steady but it wavered slightly. "We should get out of here. Inuyasha was supposed to help me bring these supplies, but they are too heavy for my feeble human arms."

The remaining dog demon sneared at her remark. "I don't know why he mated a weak human like you anyway."

"Soldier, hold your tongue!" He scorned the officer. "I apologize my Lady, we would be honored to carry your bags."

"You gentlemen are too kind." Kagome smiled. She had just gotten two dog demons to carry her bags, and a dog demon to carry her. Sure she was probably going from the frying pan to the fire, but she would make sure that Inuyasha was nice and sizzling before she stepped into her own fate.

Kagome was silent most of the ride. It was awkward being carried bridal style, but so long as she didn't have to walk, she was okay for the moment. The kind soldier carrying her informed her that she would have to lodge in a small room towards the back of the manor. This apparently was supposed to be punishment for not allowing the house's consent to the mating.

Kagome wasn't too mad about it. A demon compound and a mortal priestess that could potentially kill them, yeah she would have taken the isolated and protected little room away from everyone too.

Kagome watched as people flocked from the inside rooms to watch them land in the center of the courtyard. The trip was faster and smoother than a normal ride on Inuyasha's back.

The dogs quickly ushered her to her room so she could deposit all her belongings and rejoin her mate in the main room. Kagome's smile took on a sinister look that went unnoticed by everyone. The shoji door slid open revealing Inuyasha and the dead priestess standing next to him.

"I brought her Kentaro, you lose. Tonight is on you." A fourth dog demon laughed and made his way over until he stopped and looked at the fellow soldier. "What's wrong?"

"If that's Lady Kikyo, then who is she?" He stepped aside to reveal a fuming Kagome.

Inuyasha was the first to say something. Instead of taking a step forward, he took a step back. He knew what happened when he confronted her when she was this pissed. He could feel the heat she was radiating from his position yards away.

"Kagome, I can explain." Inuyasha pleaded. "If you just calm down …"

Now, Kagome was livid. Kagome took a step forward and the guards took a step to the side allowing her passage. Kagome's aura burned with a dark rage, her eyes promised pain the pits of hell would be jealous to know. Those in the room stood with baited breath waiting to see what the woman would do. They had been warned about 'Kagome', now they feared they were going to see why.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome circled around him. Inuyasha's ears laid flat against his head, his head bowed low, ready to take any punishment coming. "You should have told me." She was disappointed.

He flinched at the low, hurt tone of her voice. "I'm sorry Kagome."

Kagome stood in front of him and stroked the side of face and lifted his head to meet her eyes. "I forgive you." Kagome watched as the sigh of relief exited his body. She turned on her heel and took a few steps away. She growled, "Sit boy!"

The looks of horror, shock and amusement on the faces of everyone in attendance made Kagome a tad less furious. It was almost therapeutic.

Kagome could hear some mumbling from the crater in the floor. "Just because I forgive you Inuyasha doesn't mean I'm not pissed." The tone in her voice chastised him, while her voice still managed to be soft. "Sit."

Kagome took a seat and watched as the half demon struggled to get out of the crater only to be placed deeper into it a few moments later. Kagome got comfortable, she had a funny feeling the rage inside her wouldn't disappear any time soon. "Sit boy."

* * *

Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting at a table several hours later eating their evening meal while Kikyo watched. "You shouldn't have came Kagome. Now I can't save you."

"You should have told me Inuyasha! I thought I was your friend…"

"You're my best friend Kagome, which is why I couldn't tell you!" Inuyasha reached over to grab her hand, which she pulled away.

"That makes no sense at all!" Kagome was trying to understand Inuyasha's logic and was failing miserably.

Inuyasha was about to speak when Kikyo cut him off. "You're failing to see because Inuyasha is leaving a vital statement out. His brother, Lord Sesshomaru, is looking for a potential mate. Any unmated or unwed females in any of his kin's pack is brought forward and put to the test to see if they are worthy of becoming mother to his children. Inuyasha thought you would be safe in your own time, or that you would be overlooked for being weak and human."

Kagome smacked Inuyasha. "You could have told me and I would have stayed at home. The truth wouldn't have hurt, you ass."

"He is male, therefore doesn't think." Kikyo responded blandly.

Kagome laughed while Inuyasha growled at his mate. "So what now? Can I go home? How long will this take? I'm human, I'm the last thing he'll pick. So dropping out will solve everything, right?" She asked hopefully while her companions weren't giving her reassuring looks.

"Wrong." Inuyasha started. "You being here means you'll have to compete with all the other candidates. Failure to do so will result in your death, or so I've been told."

"I'm screwed aren't I?" Kagome groaned and banged her head on the table. "How do we get me out of this mess?"

"Simple. Play to win. Becoming a mate isn't all about physical power." Kikyo stepped forward and joined the conversation. "Win and you can decline. You have resources even demons would kill for. I know of the herbs you give Kaede. Those are vast fortunes you give away with little regard."

"Don't worry Kagome, we'll help you." Inuyasha reassured her while Kikyo nodded once from her spot.

Somehow Kagome wasn't feeling reassured.

* * *

Kagome didn't sleep much that night. She was too busy thinking how she could use the future to her advantage. Her bags were here and they were filled with many things even demons would kill for. She needed to make sure none of her things would be stolen or tampered with.

There wasn't much to her room. It was a single room with a futon, a pee pot, and a box to store her items. It wasn't large enough to fit all her supplies, so she decided to carry around what she couldn't fit in her chest. The chest would be guarded with wards Miroku had made for her ages ago. She could always get Kikyo to put up a barrier if anyone ever tried to tamper with it.

The sound of a horn made Kagome jump and shoot her head towards the door. She suspected it was to signal the beginning of this game.

She brushed off her green skirt and made her way inside. They would underestimate her because she is human, and for that they would all lose. This was the biggest reason Kagome didn't like sports or games. She played to win. Have a good time yes, but she needed to be the winner. Sportsmanship went out the window with the prospect of winning. A simple game of ' _Monopoly_ ' became an all-out war. Family became victims, friends became fodder for her domination.

The room they used to serve breakfast was full of demons. Most looked young, but Kagome knew they were all actually very old. Most were of canine decent, with a few felines and other demons used as servants and aides.

Kagome took her spot beside Inuyasha. A servant placed a tray in front of her and she smiled her thanks and started to eat while silently observing the bustle of demons scurrying to get everything ready or finished. She couldn't understand why Inuyasha was tense sitting beside her. She should be the one worried. She wasn't sure if any or all of the females in this room were potential competitors. She didn't want to see them as enemies. Enemies mean they end up dead. She didn't want them dead, she just wanted to win so she could get the hell out of here.

A young demon child came and rang a bell before walking back out the door. She wondered if this was show time. The way Inuyasha was shaking, she thought she would be walking into her own death.

Inuyasha, ye of little faith.

The room they were all corralled into was massive, amongst all the female candidates Kagome felt like she was a cattle being lead to the slaughter. She just wished she knew what was coming so she could plan and prepare. She needed to find out the rules of the game so she could find out how to exploit them.

At the head of the room sat the stoic demon lord and several advisors. They were all analyzing the females and whispering amongst themselves. Kagome tried to read their lips, but they were talking faster than she could keep up with. At one point she would swear they were talking without moving their lips.

A member of Sesshomaru's council stood and addressed the court. "You are all gathered here today to prove you are worthy of being Mother to the heir to the West. The rules are simple. Succeed in the challenges provided to move on. Failing the challenges brings dishonor to your pack. There is no fighting or bloodshed amongst the females at any time. There will be zero tolerance for bloodshed.

Failure to keep the peace will bring dishonor to your pack. Remember we are all still pack."

"Sounds easy enough. I was expecting some bloodshed and back stabbing and some rich brat hissy fits. This is easier than I thought." Kagome smirked and Inuyasha turned white. The rules were simple: Win and no killing. Her mortality was safe for the moment.

"You're really doing to do this? I'll take the dishonor and the punishment that comes with it." Inuyasha's knuckles were white as he clenched his fists. He was afraid for his best friend.

Kagome was already playing the game. She hadn't even started yet. No bloodshed meant she didn't need demonic power to win against the other females. She liked a challenge, even if it was stupid.

"Your first task begins now. Present your Lord Sesshomaru with a token of your affection and loyalty. If he accepts then you can move on, if not, your journey ends here and dishonor shall fall upon you and your pack." The advisor told the candidates.

Kagome watched as a few presented jewelry, books and scrolls, and garments of all colors. She watched as a few got rejected and wept with their pack or whoever came with them to the West.

Kagome came up with the perfect gift. When it was her time to step forward she took the first step with ease and pride. She would save her best friend's honor.

"My gift is a shard of the Sacred Jewel." Kagome took a bright pink shard out of her pocket and presented it to Sesshomaru.

The crowd gasped in horror and jealousy for not thinking of it first. "You filthy human, our Lord has no need for such false power. How dare you disrespect our Lord in such a manner!" The advisor seethed and ranted as his face grew flush with his rage.

Kagome laughed. "You're a senile old fool who's well past his prime if he can't see the obvious." Kagome calmly retorted and placed her hand in his face, a 'talk to the hand' gesture, before he could continue. "Most know he's after the destruction of Naraku. By presenting Sesshomaru with a shard, I am merely giving him the option of having Naraku coming to him on his own ground and on his own terms rather than Sesshomaru searching blindly on weeks or days old sources. It's a practical gift, unlike everything else here."

The room was silent as Sesshomaru walked up to Kagome and took the shard out of her hand and placed it in his pocket. "Accepted." He stated and turned back to his seat.

Kagome smirked and winked at the shell shocked advisor before taking her seat beside Inuyasha who lost his composure. "What the fuck did you do that for Kagome? You just gave that bastard a fucking shard!"

"Sit." Kagome said softly and sat back down. Inuyasha landed face first with a thud. She knew that even without their demon hearing they could hear every word that was said.

"Are you sure that is wise Kagome?" Kikyo asked not taking her eyes off the demons in front.

"Of course. It's now twice as hard for Naraku to get the jewel. Plus pawning off the responsibility for a bit is my way of taking a vacation." Kagome smiled as Sesshomaru glared at her from across the room.

"I wonder if pawning off my homework would be this easy too?" Kagome wondered as she smiled to herself. So far this game was a piece of cake.


	2. Part II

Thank you for all your likes/follows and kind reviews.

 **Part 2**

No one was happy that Kagome was there, including Kagome. She had half suspected Sesshomaru to deny her claims of mating him right off the bat. She had partially hoped he would call it off so she could walk away, or better yet, have a rule that humans can't participate in the vulgar ceremony. Then she could save face and tell herself she won.

Luckily, there was the no killing rule. It made sense to her when she pondered why. Men were dispensable, women were not. Breeding females needed to be protected and secured for the benefit of the pack. Although Kagome was pretty sure Sesshomaru was regretting that primary rule already.

She sat sipping her tea watching the rest of the competitors. She had already proven her worth: the contest of power. Inuyasha had managed to procure her a really nice bow and arrow set from the royal armory. She didn't want to know what it was worth, but it was a dream to use.

When it came time for Kagome to prove her power, everyone was shocked when she pulled out the bow and arrow and aimed it at their esteemed lord. "Think I can chip more than your armor this time Sesshomaru?"

"Kagome, have you've fucking lost your mind? We get it, you have holy powers now back down before you do something stupid like get yourself killed!" Inuyasha cried out from the back of the room. Kagome didn't look at Inuyasha but she could feel him urgently pleading for her to back down.

Kagome watched Sesshomaru's every movement. Now she was playing with molten lava and he was going to explode soon. "He asked us to prove our powers," she told her best friend not taking her eyes off the demon lord, "If he isn't willing to take the brunt force of our displays, then he isn't worthy enough for any of the breeding fe—"

Kagome's words were cut off by a blur of white fabric. She had less than a second to defend herself from his claws and attack. Her bow was charred and broken from the colliding demon and holy powers. The popping sound of the bow gave her the extra edge. Sesshomaru stopped attacking, thinking he maimed her. Sesshomaru was left standing holding a chunk of her hair that was now dripping in venom.

Kagome loved her hair! There was a giant chunk melting in his hand. She was pissed. Inside she was sobbing over her precious locks. She took the large sacrifice with great pride to actually get in a very lucky shot.

Now, she was really going to rub salt in the wound. Her right hand held the arrow which was luckily placed between his ribs, where his armor failed to connect due to the lost appendage. It was another blow to the ego, a reminder of what was lost.

It took a moment for everyone in the room to assess the situation. They were all shocked and horrified to see a faint pink light aimed at their Lord's heart. "The answer is yes. Yes I can. How does it feel Sesshomaru to be bested by a lowly female?"

"You haven't bested anyone mortal." Sesshomaru snarled lowly.

Kagome pressed the arrow into the skin. It would be so easy to kill at this moment. All it would take is a slip to press the arrow head into his body and let the purifying powers do the rest. It felt like there was no resistance at all. Like a hot knife in butter.

Sesshomaru flinched for a millisecond before his face went back to being ice. "You have proven your worth mortal."

"Awesome!" Kagome smiled brightly, pulled back the arrow, noting the small tear in cloth, and turned to return to her seat. The advisors were horrified and stunned, the other females were terrified and mesmerized, while Inuyasha looked like he was going to lose his lunch and gain ten years in a single moment.

"Don't do that again, that was a stupid move." Inuyasha scolded her, his face drained of all color, and Kikyo sat on his other side and nodded her head in agreement.

"I'm playing to win Inuyasha. I don't like losing." Kagome took her seat and smirked proudly at Sesshomaru. She knew she was missing a large chunk of her hair, but right now it was worth it. Later in the privacy of her room, she would mourn her loss, and figure a way to hide her battle wound until it grew back..

Inuyasha's reputation and his pack standing just got a little higher. If her actions could gain Inuyasha more respect points with his kin, she was going to try very hard. Her best friend had been through enough already.

* * *

Once word got out that Kagome almost killed the demon Lord, more servants, advisors, and demons from other packs came to take a look at the priestess. Kagome caught wind of some of the comments made regarding her. Some said she was really a witch and was trying to bewitch the demon Lord. Some said she's an assassin really trying to kill him. Others called her a whore for how she dressed.

Kagome was amused by the attention, but she was ready for it to be over. The next test was the test of wealth.

"I'm worried Kagome. There's no way you're rich enough to be accepted after your last stunt." Inuyasha looked at her concerned for her safety.

"Don't worry, I've got this covered." Kagome smiled and patted the large bag at her side. She shared a knowing smile with Kikyo who was confident in her gift.

Kagome watched as servants, slaves, jewels, rare animals, coins, furs and lands were presented. When she was called, she took her place at the front. "What's your wealth mortal?" One of the advisors asked.

Kagome tossed her bag at him. He caught it out of reflex. "In there."

The advisor was annoyed he had to open the cloth bag, but his eyes lit up when he started to remove the contents. He tried to contain his expression to that of a monotone uncaring creature, but it was too late. "What's this?" He held up a bag.

"That's brown sugar." Another bag was held up, "flour." And another, "white sugar" and it continued until all the bags were named. Another advisor came up from behind and started to rummage through the bag and held up a spice jar.

"What's this?"

Kagome shrugged, "Read the label, I don't have eagle eyes, I'm mortal. Or come closer and I'll read it if you want."

The room seemed to stop. "You can read?"

Kagome forgot for a moment that not everyone was given an education. "Oh sorry was I supposed to save that for another challenge? So let me pass this one and that one now. Yes, I can read, write, do mathematics, and carry an intelligent conversation on subjects you can't even possibly conceive. Does that mean I can rest the next few days?" Kagome baited the advisors by smiling sweetly and batting her eyelashes. She was going to pay for goading them.

She just wanted a couple days without having every move watched. Sesshomaru and his advisors were fine; it was everyone else vying for her attention.

Kagome had just unwittingly issued a challenge. One that wasn't going to go unchallenged. "Fine, you think you can have an intelligent conversation, then have one here with me." Kagome turned to see an aged mink demon slink into the room.

"Sure, what's the topic?" Kagome took a seat on the first step of the raised platform where the advisors and Sesshomaru were sitting and got comfy.

"I've found an interesting find, and I would like to have some insight. First off, where would the Tibia and Fibula be found?"

Kagome rolled down her sock and showed her shinbone. "This is the Tibia. It's the second strongest bone in a human body. The Fibula is right beside the Tibia and it connects the knee to the ankle. The strongest bone in a human body is the femur or the thigh bone. This one right here." Kagome ran her fingers over her thigh. Kagome was curious now. These were all Latin terms, and Japan was an isolated country for the most part. She didn't think he could have travelled and studied western medicine and come all the way back. But he was an aged demon …

"What were you reading to come upon that question?" Kagome asked.

The mink demon pulled out a modern day notebook and Kagome groaned. So that was where notebook number seven went.

"What the hell is he doing with your notebook Kagome?!" Inuyasha screamed from the back of the room.

She grabbed the notebook in the demon's stunned state and flipped through it. "This was the one where I broke every bone in your body Inuyasha and all the necessary steps to put it back into place. It was therapeutic and totally helped me study for my biology class." She told Inuyasha who was blushing slightly.

"You wrote that?" The mink looked almost appalled. "How? Not even I know the names or how to fix them."

Kagome stood and look a lighter from her pocket and set the notebook on fire. Once the shock wore off that Kagome controlled fire too, the mink demon cried out in outrage and dismay over the destruction of the scribbler. She really needed to take better care of her things.

"So mink," Kagome smiled, "with the notebook gone, would you still like to have an intelligent conversation or have you lost interest?"

Without missing a beat he replied, "Of course, I would love to know how you came to develop such a different method of setting bones and treating cuts-"

Kagome ignored him for a moment and turned to the advisor. "Point proven or do you need more proof?" She baited him.

Sesshomaru interjected before anyone could say anything. "You have proven your point mortal. Go." He flicked his chin slightly towards Inuyasha.

Kagome excitedly grabbed the bag and stuffed the contents back into it, she wasn't about to leave all her supplies with the advisors. "Hey mink," Kagome addressed the demon as she slung her bag over her shoulder, "Wanna get out of here and grab a cup of tea and talk about the book. You could pick my brain if I could do the same?"

The old demon's eye lit up and started to talk animatedly as they walked right out of the room. "Oi, Kagome? What about this thing with Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked from across the room.

"Don't worry Inuyasha, he's not going anywhere. Plus this is much more entertaining. Take notes while I'm gone." Kagome was already out the door, vaguely remembering to wave as she left.

* * *

The old mink demon, turned out to be the doctor and healer for Sesshomaru and his pack. Itachi-sensei was a fascinating creature. As much as he didn't want to look like his knowledge was outdated, she tried to soften his ego blows and carried on like he never hinted or asked. Time flew while she was with the good doctor. This was one of the only conversations Kagome could have regarding anatomy and medicine and treatment. For her, it was like a breath of fresh air. Kaede was a decent healer, but she was far from the level of Itachi-sensei. Kaede taught her herbs, but medicine and healing go beyond just that. Sadly all good things came to an end when Sesshomaru came through the doors with a guard and a very sick looking woman.

"What's the matter?" Itachi-sensei asked and the woman turned her head to the side and vomited all over the guard's shoes.

The doctor tried to pry her clenched eyes open to look at them. She screamed at an unperceivable level to a human but to the demons it was nails on a chalkboard.

Kagome knew the signs of a migraine when she saw one. Her Mama suffered from them. Luckily it wasn't frequent, but they happened frequently enough that Kagome could diagnose it right away. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of liquid Advil. The bottle unscrewed silently and she placed a pill in her hand. She turned to the doctor and motioned for something to drink.

The guard was about to ask something but Kagome silenced him with a firm look and her index finger to her lips. The doctor returned with a bowl of water and handed it to Kagome. She tapped the suffering woman on her arm until she slightly opened her eyes. Quickly she motioned to take the pill and water.

She handed off the pill and water which the woman took without arguing. The woman handed Kagome back the bowl which she handed back to the doctor. Next Kagome placed her hands together and rested the side of her face on it and closed her eyes, telling him that she needed to sleep. The guard led her to an empty bed and she gratefully crawled into it and curled up into a ball.

Kagome grabbed a blanket from a shelf and made sure it was heavy enough to cover her eyes. She placed the still folded blanket over the woman's head which she immediately latched onto and pulled tight into her face and watched as she rocked back and forth.

Kagome pointed to the woman then held her ears trying to tell the doctor to eliminate all sound. The good doctor nodded and created a solid barrier all around her. "She cannot hear us now." He told them.

"Damn, that's awesome!" Kagome praised Itachi-sensei who beamed with pride at the compliment.

"You seem to know what was ailing the poor thing." The doctor hinted rather than came out directly and asked.

"She has a migraine. It's a neurological disorder which is characterized by headaches and nausea. You can usually diagnose it as a migraine when it's more complicated than an ordinary headache. Like this poor woman here, she had photophobia, which is a sensitivity to the light and phonophobia which is a sensitivity to sound. Add this to her vomiting and possible nausea and you have a full blown depilating migraine." Kagome wasn't looking at them, but at the female starting to relax as all sounds and sights were blocked off.

"You might want to brew some willow bark and make her drink it if she's not better in a few hours." Kagome finally turned to the group and watched them as they were watching her.

"I caught her chewing on it during the ceremony so I made her take it out." The guard replied.

Kagome sighed. "She was chewing on it because she was trying to keep the migraine at bay. By you taking away the one thing that was saving her, you effectively crippled her. If that was your intention of eliminating candidates, then mission accomplished." Kagome watched as the guard turned stark white and begged forgiveness. If it weren't so serious that Sesshomaru would probably kill the guard, she would probably be laughing at him.

"We should leave the young demon to rest." Itachi-sensei told everyone and started to usher everyone out.

Sadly, Kagome knew that if she didn't intervene now the guard would be killed before sundown. "So let's call this mix up a blessing in disguise. Since you knowingly can't continue while one of your potential mates is resting, this is a good time for everyone to take a break. Everyone here is part of the larger pack, so let's have a celebration. When's the next time everyone is going to be here all together with no bloodshed?"

Sesshomaru stopped and looked at her. Kagome wasn't intimidated much. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to be maimed. "Very well. The ceremonies shall be placed on hold until she has recovered."

"Excellent!" Kagome exclaimed. "And don't go killing my new best friend for putting off the monkey show a few days." She grabbed the responsible guard and hauled him away with her as she skipped out of the room.

Once they were out of demon ear shot, the guard stopped and pulled his arm out of Kagome's grasp. "Why would you do that?"

"Do what?" Kagome was confused.

"Help me."

"Oh that." Kagome shrugged him off. "You were probably only following protocol, you're not a doctor or medical expert. Following orders shouldn't get you killed. At least not while I'm here." Kagome spotted Kikyo and Inuyasha and ran to catch up to them leaving the guard to his own devices.


	3. Part III

Notes: A filler chapter to progress the plot. Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! I appreciate it. Sorry in advance for the short chapter and late update. Big thanks and love to EEevee for doing what she does best and saving me from myself.

 **Part 3**

The party brought out everyone who tried to remain hidden during the ceremony. After all, who didn't love a good shindig? The celebration was held in the main reception hall, the same room which was used for Sesshomaru's farc—mating game. Some sub-packs had already packed up and left the first night in their disgrace, while others stayed to be with family or to see who won. It hurt to lose; it was a feeling Kagome was familiar with and one she wasn't fond of. That was why she liked to avoid games.

Kagome saw a few children laughing and playing in a room just off the main hall. Sadly, they were heard more than seen. Some days she forgot there were children here at all. Of course, there would be children; Rin was always with Sesshomaru, and she was a child. Granted she was a human, but the demons here looked upon children differently than they did adults.

Children were guarded around the clock by Sesshomaru's personal guards. Children: demon, human, half demon were the future. Kill the future and the future dies. Same applies to females; kill the females and the future was lost. Men could go out and slaughter each other, and torture, and maim. But women and children were placed in a higher standing than men. It's a primal code written into DNA.

Somehow, demons understood a woman's worth, while some human men were still trying to grasp that concept in Kagome's time. She vaguely wondered where, when, and how it got so mixed up in history.

Kagome left the main hall by herself. Kikyo and Inuyasha were sitting amongst another pack and she didn't want to interrupt. Females were laughing and dancing, men were sitting cross legged in deep conversations about war and politics. Servants were pouring sake, serving food and removing dishes, which magically managed not to get in anyone's way. The music was light and cheerful and seemed to dance in the night's air.

Everyone was having fun, and she missed the rest of her pack. She would love to party with Sango and Miroku and Shippo. Miroku would hit on every available female who was rejected by Sesshomaru; Sango would then keep him comatose; Shippo would play pranks on the guards and more importantly, he would keep her company. She was surrounded by beautiful things and still, she was melancholy. She sighed as she missed the familiarity of being surrounded by her feudal family.

She stood by the guard and smiled as she quietly slid the door open and watched the kids all play with each other. Human children were playing with demons; no care or prejudice in the world. This is how it should be. It was perfect bliss. It made the melancholy in her heart hurt a little less. This was the kind of peace the world should have. Rin smiled and waved before continuing to play with the other children.

People asked, 'why everyone can't just get along?' The answer was simple. It answer was easy to see by just watching children. There was no hate, no prejudice, only acceptance. Kagome loved children, and someday, she wanted to have an unrealistically large family to call her own. In her day, having more than two children meant life would be a financial strain. She would need to be rich to have the amount of children she wanted.

Kagome knew she would be a good mother.

She tried to be the best mother she could be with Shippo. But it was hard running back and forth from the past. She realized she was still too young to bear children, but in this era, she was already missing her prime years. Some days, it was her greatest dilemma.

It was hard being only a part time parent when these were the years Shippo really needed someone to hold onto. The Feudal Era was a cruel and harsh period of time to be orphaned. Shippo understood, and because he understood, it broke her heart even more. No child should ever have known or understood. It wasn't fair on him. Yet, he never complained. Her Shippo was a good boy.

Her mind started to drift with thoughts of having a room like this full of her own children. She didn't care if they were biologically hers or adopted, because, ultimately, they'd be hers. Her heart swelled with joy as she silently played make-believe and cherished the moment.

"Which one is yours?" The guard brought Kagome out of her thoughts.

She shook her head softly, "None. Sadly, I don't have any of my own, but I have adopted a fox demon as mine." Kagome smiled softly as their shrieks of laughter brought a smile to her face. Shippo would have been in seventh heaven, playing with children his own age.

"So why isn't he here?" She felt him watching her out of the corner of his eye, but her eyes never left the children.

"Considering I was kidnapped in a sense, I didn't have time to stop and get him."

"Why don't you get him now? The party will last until sunrise. Besides, it will be at least a day before the event is back underway. If you can't leave then send a proxy to retrieve him. It's your right as a female to have your pack with you." He broke protocol and stared at her, letting her know his words were truth.

Kagome smiled up at the guard, excitedly. "You're right! It's not the alpha male who controls the pack but the alpha female." Her mind started to race with thoughts, questions, scenarios and plans for future use. Inuyasha wasn't going to like this. She rubbed the palms against her white sailor shirt, wiping off some clamminess in her excitement.

The guard nodded his head in agreement. "My name is Kentaro, miss-?"

"Kagome." She flashed him a genuine smile and watched in morbid fascination as his face turned pale as the blood ran from his face. He was already a white dog demon, but he looked deathly white now. It didn't help that his uniform was a deep shade of red and a bright shade of white. The color did nothing for his skin tone. Then it clicked. This was one of the demons that kidnapped her!

"You're her!" The guard's face turned even more dangerously white as he spoke. "We never had this conversation." His tone was adamant. "If I am asked, I will deny it. I still have some honor and standing for my word." He seemed to shrivel up inside himself while still maintaining the guard presence.

Kagome almost laughed at the guard making a seriously bad attempt to threaten her and yet keep her in a respected place. "Don't worry nameless guard, we have never met before, aside from the time you kidnapped me and brought me to this place." She waved him off as he was going to make a comment. "I just came to look in on the children, and then I was gone. We never had this conversation." Kagome gave him a wink and walked off as the color slowly returning to his face. "Besides, you owed me one for kidnapping me, so I think we'll call it even."

She paused before she was out of his earshot and added, "Thank you. I was feeling a little lost without part of my pack here." She turned and gave him a watery smile.

Now, it was time to send Inuyasha to go and get Shippo. Kagome entered the main hall and walked over to Inuyasha and Kikyo. It didn't take them long to acknowledge her.

"Inuyasha, I need you to go and get Shippo."

She turned to go and make her way out of the room expecting Inuyasha to jump and listen to her request.

"Later Kagome. Right now, we're in the middle of a conversation." Inuyasha dismissed her and returned to the discussion. Apparently talking about how to kill a boar demon was much more important.

"Excuse me?" Kagome choked out, miffed.

"The big boys are talking Kagome," Inuyasha dismissed her again. Kikyo stopped talking to the demon beside her to share a horrified look with Kagome. Kagome refused to release her anger. Not here, not now.

"Fine. I'll go get him by myself." Kagome smirked condescendingly and Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head waiting for the command of submission to slam him to the ground in retaliation. "I won't subdue you now, Inuyasha." Kagome's voice was low and soft. As much as Inuyasha wanted to take a breath of relief, he waited with baited breath for the rest. "Just know this, I'll make a quick stop off at home, I'll tell Mama what you've done and she'll understand why ramen is off the supply list: Forever. Then, when we get back, THEN, I'll subdue you as I cook our entire supply and feed it to everyone here. You will have the smell of the ramen seasoning to torment you, and no one will offer you a morsel." The horrified look on Inuyasha's face was priceless. Inuyasha wasn't motivated by much. Jewel shards and ramen worked every time. "Enjoy your conversation Inuyasha."

Kagome turned and started to walk out of the room when a gush of wind and a flash of red in her peripheral vision told her the half demon was already gone. She looked back to confirm and lightly chuckled. Kikyo sat almost amused by the situation, while the rest of the demons were shocked by how fast the half demon moved. Everyone had their price. Inuyasha's was easy to figure out and abuse.

"Wow she's scary good." One of the dog demons sitting next to Kikyo commented to her. Kikyo nodded her head in agreement as Kagome left the room to go and observe the children some more, as they soothed and calmed her soul.

Inuyasha, some days, could press her buttons.

"That's why she's the Alpha female." Kikyo took a sip of her tea and looked forward to a quiet and relaxing night thanks to Kagome, continuing her conversation with the demon beside her.


	4. Part IV

AN: While I realize there was no form of sign language (as we know of it today) in Japan until the Edo period, I figured since demons existed, I was sure they would have their own silent language similar to what we have now. While JSL is much more complex with their language and syntax, I'm basing this story off ASL which has a structure completely different than spoken or written English. So I kept the signing in the story simple which resulted in "broken speech" or "poor English/language skills".

Ex. I need to go to the bathroom. Or, Where's the bathroom? I need to go! (Both are perfectly acceptable English)

In ASL it would be the sign bathroom repeatedly. If it was me signing, I would sign bathroom and either make a pained expression and/or sign bathroom while doing the pee-pee dance.

I'm also aware that signs and gestures are/were different between languages, but for the sake of the story, just go with it. Same with the Latin. I'm aware Latin has a different structure, just for story read and enjoy. It's a work of fiction not historical accuracies.

And once again, thank you for all your reviews. I love and appreciate eah and every one of them. Now on to the story.

* * *

 **Part IV**

It was nice to have a day off. As much as she wanted to get this done and over with, Kagome enjoyed the quiet respite of feudal life. Today she would go and find a bathing area. Her hair was starting to feel itchy and oily and she feared her deodorant wasn't working as it should. That's all she needed was for a dog demon to smell all of her; intimate parts and all. She shuddered at the thought, and felt her stomach churn. Sickening.

She grabbed her supplies and went to find someone who could tell her where she could get cleaned up. She came upon a young demon child and asked. The child stood staring at nothing, ignoring her completely. She asked again; nothing. A loud crash from the main housing unit made Kagome whip her head around and look for the sound. Not seeing anything, she was suddenly dawned on a realization: He didn't look.

Kagome decided to try something else. She tapped his shoulder. He whipped around to stare at her. It was like he was shocked she was standing right there. Was his nose not working? She didn't want to know if it was, she was just glad it wasn't _because_ of his nose that he turned around. She decided to ask him a third time, he blinked not comprehending.

She didn't know if this would work, but she decided to try something that was out of the norm. Plus, there was no one around to make fun of her for trying. She tried sign language, and started with the sign for 'bathe'. His golden eyes grew wide and a huge smile lit his face. He made the sign for 'bathe' like she had just done and Kagome nodded in agreement. He turned and raced down a path too quickly for her to keep up.

Kagome wasn't fluent in sign language as she liked to be at this moment, but she was thanking her stars that she knew some words. When she was 11, almost 12, she started to babysit a deaf boy at the end of her street. It was frustrating sending letters back and forth to communicate, so she slowly learned JSL and ASL since his father was an American. She stopped babysitting on her 15th birthday when she was dragged down the well. But she was teaching Shippo the language so she wouldn't be rusty. If there was a sign she didn't know, she wrote it down and asked when she got back to her time, then would teach Shippo the sign. It was fun to talk silently to each other when Inuyasha was being intolerable. They could sit on either side of the fire at night and have a carefree conversation.

Kagome rounded the corner and watched the young demon stop to stare at her. 'You fast!' she signed, and the demon boy nodded. He stood outside the entrance to a hot spring. Kagome could smell the earth and the heated water from outside, it was amazing. The boy was about to leave when Kagome waved her hand in front of him trying to gain his attention. He stood waiting watching silently for her hands to speak. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.' He signed back.

'You, me, bathe. Now.' Kagome signed leaving no room for answer because she turned her back and started to walk into the hot spring entrance. She disliked bathing alone, especially in a spring.

The place was deserted, which Kagome was grateful for. The hot spring itself was co-ed, but there were separate changing rooms for men and women. It was silly because the wash areas were open to the co-ed spring.

Kagome slipped on her bathing suit, which she always made sure to pack, and took her supplies over to the other side. She helped the child demon remove his tightly wrapped clothing and sat him on a stool to wash his sin-worthy hair. It was matted slightly, but he was a boy with long flowing hair. It was only natural to get tangled. Boys never cared about taking care of their hair or the one thing Kagome was seriously jealous over: how long their eyelashes could get. They had no idea the product that went onto them to get them that long. It should have been a crime! She used her soft brush to untangle most of the mess. Kagome hummed to herself knowing the boy couldn't hear it and he wouldn't complain she was completely off key. Shippo never complained either, but Inuyasha always did.

She could bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, could kill a demon, but couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Under Kagome's care, the boy's hair was smooth once more. She would have to apply so much product to her hair to get it this silky. Then she would take an hour with a flat iron to get it that smooth. This was the epitome of crime against nature! And she knew he didn't appreciate what he had. No guy ever did.

She took the washcloth and started to wash his back. She rubbed the foamy cloth over his skin and gasped as makeup was removed. His back was pure white as snow with a magenta jagged stripe. Shippo appeared to be 5 years old, and this demon wasn't much bigger. He was willowy like he should have been 10-12 by human appearances which meant he was well over a century old.

There were only two people with stripes. One was Sesshomaru's mother, and the other was Sesshomaru. She couldn't see Sesshomaru having another sibling, especially one Inuyasha wouldn't know about, so either he was a freak of nature or he was the true Crowned Prince and heir to the Western Lands. What the hell was going on?

Kagome continued to clean the child. Stripes appeared on his arms and legs. She took the cloth to his face and continued to remove the paste hiding his features. Why was he covered from head to toe in makeup? Why were his markings covered? The customary crescent moon glistened against his pale skin. She sat back and admired his true face, not the one he wanted people to see. He was the spitting image of his father. Kagome wanted to feel apprehensions about being so close to the demon child, but her heart was telling her to ignore them; this child needed her.

'Beautiful.' She signed, smiling down on the bashful demon and reached over to grab the bucket full of water to wash his hair. This was probably why he couldn't smell her. The paste covering him head to toe was probably covering up his demon senses too. That was just cruel. First his hearing and then his sense of smell, what bastards!

A short while later, Kagome and the deaf demon were soaking in the hot spring, both clean and relaxing in the cool morning's air. The warm heat of the water chased away the cold morning air. Every stress and anxiety from this mating game washed away with the slight lapping of the water. This was bliss.

The demon boy, who was enjoying himself up until now, caught a glance of his face in the water and started to freak out. Kagome had a hard time keeping up with his frantic hand gestures and his body trying to race out of the water. Finally after struggling and Kagome partially drowning, she was able to find out the story. Kagome cried and pulled the demon child into her arms and they stood that way until the demon gently made Kagome release him. He was Sesshomaru's son. Abandoned by his mother, deserted by his father, he was truly alone. At least Inuyasha knew the love of a parent. This boy was allowed to remain alive because he was part of Sesshomaru's pack; even if it was just in the shadows.

Why was this farce of a game going on if there was already an heir? How does being deaf equate to being inferior? Was he the "just in case heir" if Sesshomaru died? That would be like Kagome being the "just in case woman" if Kikyo were to have died before Inuyasha made her his mate. Kagome, for one, would have none of it.

She would play this game out until the very end, but she would not let the child cover up who and what he was. She would not stand for it. Her heart broke for the demon child.

They left the bliss of the hot spring in search of breakfast. They entered the dining area and sets of eyes were locked on them. The demon made a move to leave, but she blocked his way. 'No. sit. Eat. ' she signed, refusing to let him slink back into his previous routine of being cast into the shadows.

The demon slumped his shoulders and gave up, taking his usual seat. Kagome slid in beside him. 'Thank you' she signed as he nodded once and began to eat. Kagome felt weird trying to eat with eyes staring at them. How could this kid do it? It wasn't until another demon entered the room that all eyes stopped. It wasn't that he came into the room, more like he exploded into it. He was someone she would not like to cross in a dark alley all alone.

The demon signed so fast Kagome missed it. The demon child bowed low and started to gather up his unfinished food when Kagome placed a hand on him and looked at him questioningly. 'Breakfast over lesson now.' He signed without looking at her.

Kagome turned and glared at the teacher. She finally got the attention of the demon child and signed, 'Sit. Eat.' Kagome won the battle of wills because the demon sat down and finished his breakfast. The teacher sat across from him. Kagome could see the displeasure on his face, but paid it little regard and continued to enjoy her breakfast.

He growled and in a thick foreign accent said something to the servant who knew not what he said. Her blank look was a dead give away. She could tell this wasn't his first failed run in conversation. Kagome counted six sighs from the one sentence. He wasn't from around here. His skin was sun kissed naturally, not from actually working in the sun. His eyes were a sharp green, it sparkled intelligence and patience that was wearing thin each day. Why would a demon come to such an isolated country and not learn Japanese? His lips were slightly chewed, showing the mounting stress of his time here. Kagome suspected there would never be bags under his eyes.

His chiseled features reminded her of a Greek god. Then his thick accent clicked a light bulb in her head. He was speaking Latin. It wasn't all that uncommon to have a few people from the far west settle down and do missions work. There was a group of missionaries who had a shard fragment, and who willingly gave it up because she could speak to them not in a 'barbaric' language.

The only reason Kagome knew Latin was because her family owned a shrine. It was considered rude if she went to a ceremony and didn't know the language. There were many Christians in Japan, some Roman Catholic and their services were done in the mother tongue. Latin helped her with English, it was fun to see the connection to all the different words. No one actually spoke Latin outside of ceremonies, but while math wasn't her strong suit, language was a far better contender.

Kagome was brought back to the present when the bowl was thrown across the room, and the Greek man was ranting. "What is it that you want?" Kagome asked in Latin which caused both demons to stare at her in mild shock.

"Rice. Rice and fish. Nothing else. Rice and fish." He stated back almost at the end of his limits.

She relayed the message back to the servant who quickly ran to do her bidding. A few moments later the servant came out with just rice and fish. The demon was so thrilled, he took the servant by the upper arms and planted a kiss on either side of her cheek. Kagome laughed as the servant sputtered and ran. It was customary, not romantic.

"Thank you my divine angel. How is it someone so young and human knows my language?"

"My mother has made sure my education has not been lacking." Kagome raised the miso bowl to her lips and drank the liquid.

"But you are a native of this land. You should not know my language as well as you do. And you are far too young to have been to the west and back." He gave her a slow once over, making her very close to squirming under his stare.

Normally a journey to the west took an entire lifetime and that's if they made it there alive. "Rome is a beautiful city. But I'm a romantic at heart and much preferred the Grand Canal in Venice."

"You lie. You are much too young to have made the trip to the west and back." The demon looked for deception but wasn't able to find any. Kagome had been to Italy once when she was eight. She was too young to remember much, just feelings and images remained.

"You must be correct, because demons are never mistaken. Then again, we aren't having this conversation, and I'm not here to help you with the servants." Kagome stated smugly and crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.

The demon laughed, no Japanese woman shrugged, that was a trait of the western women. "My name is Lupercus, and it's a pleasure to meet someone I do not have to play a communication game with. Woman or demon."

"So you're Roman and not Greek." Kagome nodded her head. "My name is Kagome, and unlike you I am not famous. I believe it was your mate Lupa who helped to found Rome."

Lupercus gasped at her knowledge. "How could you know? There are tales but none this far east." Kagome gave him a knowing smile and motioned him to eat. The deaf demon had finished his food and was waiting to be filled in our conversation.

Kagome watched as Lupercus quickly signed the story much faster than Kagome ever could. 'Him eat. We lesson. Now' Kagome signed and the small demon hung his head in defeat. Kagome giggled, he was so much like Souta when it came to school work.

"How is it you know the demon language of the silent?" Lupercus asked as he swallowed a large mouthful of plain rice.

"I'll tell you later, unless you choose not to believe me now, and not waste both of our time." Kagome winked and ushered the deaf demon out of the dining room.

All hell broke lose the moment the advisor took one look at the child's face and noticed all the markings. The boy's personal attendant came in with a large case and chastised the boy while trying to proceed in covering up his heritage markings

"Pathetic child," his attendant, another dog demon, stated out loud, "Why are you trying to dishonor your Lord? Come now, we will place the paste on your face and hopefully you will not get reprimanded for it."

Kagome stood in front of the attendant and blocked the young demon from scrutiny. "What would happen if you didn't cover his markings?"

"He could be thrown out of the pack. If that were to happen, no one would want to bear the burden and responsibility of taking care of a slow demon. He would be killed before nightfall. He should be grateful of the mercy his Lord bestows upon him."

Kagome wanted to gag on the righteousness and the bullshit that was being spewed by the attendant. "He would not be killed, as the Alpha female of my pack, he would be welcomed into mine with open arms."

The boy tugged Kagome's shirt and asked, 'What?' His big golden eyes looking up at her questioningly, hoping this time he wouldn't be ignored anymore. He might not be able to hear, but he could read body language and he could tell both were fighting.

'Say no. They not like. They say paste or no pack. You mine. Enough hiding.' Kagome took a few slow calming breaths to calm her nerves. She wanted to turn around and snarl at the dog demon and it took all of her control not to.

No one was going to be oppressed on her watch—demon or not. She wasn't going to stand for it. The poor child. She would stand this alone if she had to. If her pack deserted her, not that they ever would, she would stand by this demon's side since everyone else in this world abandoned him.

The demon boy went and closed the wooden case and shook his head, finally taking a stand for himself. He wasn't going to be oppressed any longer, not when there was someone who would willingly take him as he was. It was a gamble on both their parts, but Kagome would be damned if she didn't try.

The attendant left in a huff, ranting about telling Lord Sesshomaru, and how Kagome was going to be punished for her insubordination. Kagome laughed and ruffled the demon's silky hair and nudged him to his lesson, where the advisor was standing with little patience remaining.

Kagome listened in on the young demon's class. She couldn't figure out what kind of demon he was. He wasn't an otter, he wasn't one of the many dogs, he wasn't anything Kagome could easily figure out. It really didn't matter, but she was curious. She shrugged her thought away and tried to listen back to what was being taught.

One of Sesshomaru's personal advisors was trying to teach the demon mathematics. The advisor didn't know sign language so there was a heavy communication barrier; then the advisor's back would be turned so even if the child could read lips, he couldn't read backs. Then he would proceed in a manner that confused Kagome, and she got simple math!

Math was an easy to teach, but a hard concept to understand until it clicks. Kagome could see the young demon struggling and he gave up when the advisor screamed out his name and threw down his abacus and stormed out. Leaving a frustrated and confused child in his wake.

Hiroaki, the demon child's name, looked up and stared at Kagome with a frustration that broke her heart, silent tears were threatening to spill. She walked over to the bowl and grabbed a handful of stones and placed them on the table. She started to count with her fingers up to ten. Hiroaki understood the concept. Kagome would count again with her fingers just this time she would have the amount of stones in one hand to the number on her fingers. She repeated the count; finger to stone until the light bulb flashed and he understood. Kagome started signing random numbers and left Hiroaki to place the correct amount of stones.

Once he got it, the kid was smart as a whip. Kagome started to add numbers and left him to figure it out. He got frustrated at first until he realized that adding the stones together and counting them equaled the number. Then the same for subtraction. Then the same for larger numbers higher than ten. When it clicks, it clicks. Hiroaki was proud of his lesson and his progress. Kagome noticed that several hours passed, and they had probably skipped lunch, but it was worth a shot to see if the kitchen was still opened. They walked down the hall and Kagome was intrigued by the different sounds she heard.

The advisor was speaking to Sesshomaru and Lupercus in what seemed to be a dog language, a series of growls and barks. "The boy doesn't understand, he's too slow. There can be no teaching of anything for one who can not hear." The advisor switched to Japanese to keep Lupercus out of the conversation.

Kagome's head whipped around and venom dripped from her lips. "Excuse me. Say that again?" She demanded. She didn't care who she was addressing. This was probably not the most diplomatic way of dealing with things, but Kagome was never one to just sit around and wait, or let anyone be spoken badly about.

"This is not your place, woman. Leave and let the demons speak." The advisor dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Kagome choked back a heated remark, trying her best to bite her tongue. She was trying…

"What did he say Kagome?" Lupercus asked in Latin. He broke away from the pack and stood in front of the advisor, blocking the murderous rage that was building upon sight.

"He claims Hiroaki is too stupid to comprehend mathematics. He understands it just fine. The advisor is the one with the problem. Hiroaki is smart, test him, he knows his numbers. I bet you Hiroaki is smarter than the old buffoon." Kagome stood straight and crossed her arms. This was a subject she wasn't going to budge on. She was given a quizzical look by Sesshomaru. Was knowing more than one language another test? She gave him a righteous smirk back.

Lupercus relayed Kagome's message and challenge to Sesshomaru and to the advisor. The advisor huffed and accepted, his pride was bruised at the challenge. Lupercus went back into the room and retrieved the abacus and the stones. Sesshomaru asked for a sum of 14 and 12. Hiroaki quickly counted and had amassed a handful of stones, placing them into his father's hand. Kagome already knew the answer was correct. The advisor was still figuring it out.

'You hungry?' Kagome signed and the boy nodded. Without waiting for a count verification, they made their way into the dining room to see if there was any possibility of lunch left. They finished their meal and were sitting back relaxing when the advisor and Sesshomaru waltzed into the room.

"How did he get the correct answer so quickly?" The advisor demanded.

"Because you suck at teaching so I taught him myself. I did tell you I could do math, if you weren't listening, that's not my problem." Both were taken aback. Hiroaki was confused at their expression and asked what's happening. "'They think you stupid. They wrong. You smart.'" Kagome spoke what she signed to the young demon who was close to laughing.

"How is it you are able to do math?"

Kagome smiled. "I was taught by better people than your advisor. Oh while we are doing mathematics, does this mean I pass another test? You're making this way too easy, there's no challenge. I don't think you're trying Sesshomaru. Of course, why would you, you have a very smart heir right here." She smiled brightly at the young boy who beamed right back.

Kagome choked on the lack of air. Sesshomaru had her pinned against the wall in an attempt to crush her wind pipe. Kagome couldn't be mad at the situation, she knew better than to egg on an egomaniac, self absorbed, ice prince. Instead, one of the rules popped in her head and she laughed. "You can't kill me." His eyes flashed a dark gold tempting her to push his buttons. "Your rules not mine." She whispered out before succumbing to the mirth dancing in her eyes.

He released her immediately. "The next test you will fail." He turned and strode out.

"You won't be able to lift the next challenge." The advisor smirked and followed out after his lord. Kagome laughed as much as she could before she choked on the air.

"So the next one will be heavy, huh? Guess it means I should come ready." She told herself as she rubbed her sore neck. Why were dog demons so bloody temperamental? Even PMSing females weren't this bad! Of course Kagome knew better than to poke hormonal females with ego sticks—dog demons? Not so much.

'You hurt?' The demon child asked her when everyone had left the room.

Kagome shook her head to quiet the silent concern of the boy. 'Fine.' She signed. Kagome wondered how she was supposed to lift something heavy, then it came to her: a lever. She grinned, why couldn't they make it a little more challenging?

A human girl from the future was totally kicking ass at this mating game crap. Apparently they were 500 years too early to compete with her. She just needed to find a board and a possible stone and she would be set.

An announcement was made some time after the early dinner that everyone was to gather in the main courtyard to start the next challenge. Kagome was excited. Inuyasha wasn't back yet so he couldn't have another heart attack on her. Kikyo stood by silently watching and encouraging Kagome to succeed. Girl Power.

"Next challenge is simple. Move this boulder." The advisor smirked in victory.

That was it? Nothing about with your own strength, or with your bare hands, or in 5 seconds? Kagome hung her head. It wasn't in shame, it was because the advisor was more of an idiot than she gave him credit for.

Some tried and failed. This was a competition to weed out the ones weak of heart, mind and body. When it was Kagome's turn, she grabbed the plank resting on the ground beside her and made her way to the boulder. She didn't need the stone because the crater was deep enough not to need one. She felt eyes staring at her from the back of the room. She turned and noticed Lupercus and Hiroaki staring at her. "Archimedes once said, 'Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth.' So I am doing as he taught." She spoke to him in Latin, very much enjoying the 'secret' language.

Lupercus was busy translating what Kagome said and trying not to laugh at her ingenious idea. Kagome was probably going to flash everyone with this next move, but the crow they were about to eat would be well worth it.

She placed her board under the rock, creating a wedge and nice lift once she placed some weight on it. She examined everything and was about to lift when she noticed the advisor was standing in her trajectory. "You might want to move unless death by boulder is your salvation." She didn't wait any longer and she used her entire body weight and sent the boulder up in the air about a foot before having it roll quickly towards the advisor. Had Sesshomaru not stopped it, it would have crushed the aide.

"I thought I was failing this one?" At his cold death glare, Kagome knew she passed. "The least you could do is make it challenging. I'm bored. Maybe we should have _you_ compete for _our_ attention. At least then we would come up with something a little more stimulating." Kagome was walking away when something clipped her shoulder and bounced in front of her.

She blinked and turned sending a death glare to everyone behind her. The advisor jumped, squeaked and hid behind his lord. Kagome turned back and bent down to open the scroll and read:

 _The village at the South Eastern border has four apple trees that produce a total of 8 buckets. Each bucket contains 15 apples. The village at the Northern border has three apple trees that produce a total of 12 buckets. Each bucket contains 14 apples. How many apples should they give to their Lord at harvest time to keep both sides fair?_

"Really? This is the test you want to give me to stimulate me?" Kagome wanted to bash her head in the courtyard ground.

"If you can't figure it out, then you shall be disgraced." The advisor chuckled and waited for his Lord's approval to continue.

She sat down and wrote small on the ground. 8*15 = 120. 12*14 = 168. 4x+120 = 3x+168. 168-120=48

She quickly wiped away the answer from the dirt and called out to Lupercus at the back. "Quickly grab Hiroaki's stones." He quickly dashed into the compound to retrieve the stones. Kagome beckoned the deaf boy forward. She turned to Sesshomaru and the advisor. "I've already figured out the answer, but because you failed to stimulate me, I'll teach your son to get the correct answer."

The advisor was cut off by Sesshomaru. Hiroaki came up and timidly looked up at Kagome. She signed, 'Show you smart.'

The boy nodded and took a deep breath and semi straightened his shoulders. Lupercus returned with the bowl of stones and Kagome set to work. '4 trees' Kagome signed and then wrote 4T on the ground. 'Total 8 bucket 15 apple' She signed then wrote (8 x 15) on the ground. Hiroaki looked at her confused. '8 groups 15.' She signed for further clarification.

Hiroaki understood and started to set up eight groups with 15 in each. After that was done, he counted 120 and signed his answer. Kagome wrote overtop of the bracket, 120. '3 trees' Kagome wrote 3T on the ground. 'Total 12 bucket with 14 apples' She wrote (12 x 14) on the ground.

Sesshomaru and the advisor looked on at the weird writing on the ground: 4T+120=3T+(12 x 14)

The boy quickly came up with the correct answer of 168. So Kagome placed it above the brackets. 'We isolate now.' Kagome moved the 120 under the 168. 'Difference.' She signed leaving him to do the subtraction of both numbers.

'48.' He signed. Kagome placed the 48 under the 120. Kagome moved the three under the four and was about to sign to Hiroaki who gave her a pointed look. Without even being asked, he placed a single stone down.

T=48

'What T?' Kagome signed and Hiroaki pointed to the 48. Kagome smiled at him and nodded. "Your answer is 48." Kagome informed the hearing crowd as she rose and dusted off her white socks. "Since this scroll is pretty worn, you're welcome for doing your job for you." She handed the scroll back to the advisor, gathered the stones and left with a proud Hiroaki.

"For future advice, next time, ask if you're having that much of a problem. I'm sure the lowly human or the deaf demon could help you figure it out. After all, that problem was child's play." Kagome laughed as they left the courtyard. She could feel the heated daggers flying into her back.

* * *

A few minutes later, Kikyo took Kagome aside and gasped at her display. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kikyo shook her head thanking every deity that Inuyasha wasn't present.

Kagome took a deep breath and confided, "This is why I don't play games and don't participate in sports. I play to win and obliterate the opposition while doing so. Plus, they have Hiroaki, why are we even here? There is nothing wrong with him, his ears don't work. That's reason enough for me to win."

Kikyo nodded. Kagome had the courage to display what Kikyo wished so desperately to be (even on the inside.) "Then I think you are accomplishing your task wonderfully."

Kagome smiled brightly at Kikyo. "Thanks, but we'll leave out most of the details when Inuyasha asks."

"Agreed." Kikyo nodded and walked away towards her room to have a cup of tea and relax her fragile nerves.


	5. Part V

Part V

Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own anything mentioned in this story. I am simply giving homage.

A/N: I am terribly sorry about the super long overdue chapter. Please Enjoy! And MASSIVE thank you to my super patient and loving BFF of many years! You have no idea the stuff she put up with as I wrote me way through the writer's block. It was pretty horrible! Because of her, this chapter turned out amazing! Love you E, thank you very much!

* * *

Kagome woke Hiroaki in the predawn light. She gathered her bow and quiver of arrows, and they quietly left the protective demon compound. Today, Kagome was going to teach the deaf boy how to hunt. Kagome overheard at supper the night before that Hiroaki would not be able to survive on his own because his hearing was broken. So the most logical thing in Kagome's mind was to take him out hunting.

If the two of them came home with a kill, then it would prove to everyone that being deaf wasn't a death sentence. Kagome was the perfect partner, because heaven forbid if a human female came back with anything of substance. So any kill on either part would be a good thing.

Kagome secretly just wanted a reprieve from the mating game. Plus, she was waiting for Inuyasha to arrive with the rest of her pack. Being alone was never her strong suit. She needed a pack and people in order to thrive. Having Kikyo was nice, but she was naturally reserved, and Kagome was craving some emotional connection the priestess could not give.

They made it to the wooded section without anyone seeing them or noticing their departure. That was a good sign…she hoped.

Kagome explained 'hunting' to Hiroaki. Luckily, Lupercus had gone over the basics in theory of how to kill humanely. The less stress an animal had to endure while it died, the less gamey the taste. Adrenaline forced the animal's muscles to tighten, made them ready and alert, every sense was heightened; especially nervousness. When the animal died, adrenaline was still flowing through the body and changed the pH of the meat. That's not a good recipe for tender meat. Too much adrenaline caused the meat to be tough, and sadly, adrenaline didn't go anywhere after a kill, which was why it's vital to bleed the animal dry immediately.

At first Hiroaki was a normal deaf demon; he would stomp about like a herd of elephants. Hiroaki had no idea how loud he was or wasn't. The demon didn't protest or call Kagome a liar; he took Kagome's advice and was cautious on where he stepped and how forceful his step. This was the lesson Hiroaki had to overcome.

If Hiroaki could be consciously aware that his footsteps were the determining factor if he lived or died, and if nailed down this lesson, the demon would be unstoppable. He would be able to fend for himself long after she left.

Dawn was approaching. Kagome had managed to snag three rabbits. Hiroaki had the chance with multiple deer. Kagome stood still as Hiroaki was on attempt number fourteen. This buck was slightly smaller than the others, but it was still a decent size.

He was poised to attack, when the buck shot its head up, looked in the direction to its left and dashed off into the security of the trees.

Hiroaki looked at Kagome. 'Nothing. No idea. Wait. Watch. Patience.'

The demon stood deathly still. At that moment, there was no doubt, Hiroaki was Sesshomaru's son. He didn't have to wait long before a massive stag came forward. Hiroaki didn't wait. He was silent and deadly.

The stag was already dead before it knew what happened. The young demon set about draining the blood without damaging the pelt. Kagome was impressed (and saddened) by the size of the dead animal. This was a beast. He must have weighed easily 300lbs.

Kagome knew the entire animal would be used, so she was okay seeing the dead animal bleed out in front of her, but she was an animal lover at heart. This was why she never went hunting. And yes, she had killed three rabbits, but she had a pet rabbit once. One chomp resulted in an ER visit and a series of very painful rabies shots... just in case. She was okay with seeing the species dead now.

There was nothing to do but wait now as Hiroaki tied the deer to a tree to bleed it. The two sat in silence, and she could clearly see the exhilaration on his proud face. He should be proud. It was a good catch and a clean kill.

The sun had crested over the tree line. Kagome's stomach had started to grumble. She giggled. The deaf demon asked her what was funny.

'Stomach said hungry.'

He pointed to the stag. She shook her head. 'Meat cook.' He gave her a blank stare. 'Can't eat meat raw.'

'Later?' He signed with a hopeful look on his face.

Kagome smiled, 'YES. Cook.'

Kagome knew that draining the blood was a way to bring predators to the scene. Kagome was expecting bears and wolves, not predators of the demon variety.

The young woman stood up, and readied her bow and arrow. The demon snarled and sniffed its way to the dead stag. Looks like it was time to move on. Hiroaki made a noise, which sounded like a cute growl, and the demon was now looking at them intently.

The small demon was still flowing with adrenaline. "Three tasty meals." The demon snorted causing his whiskers to vibrate.

Kagome was ready though. She was faster than the attacking demon. Her arrow flew straight and true, slicing through the air with a soft whistle. It landed in the middle of the demon and purified it. Hiroaki stood still. It was like he was waiting for Kagome to kill him too. After a longer than normal silent moment, he signed 'home.'

She agreed with a nod, ready to leave, since they got what they came for. He untied the carcass and carried it with ease. Kagome boasted about his strength, but he didn't respond more than a small smile. The air turned and Kagome had no idea what she did wrong. The walk back to the compound was a silent death march. Her feet dragged and she felt like she failed. She had no idea what had just happened.

Kagome was the first to emerge from the forest. There was a small search party looking for them. It was mostly comprised of Lupercus and Kikyo and a few guards terrified of both of them. Lupercus was the first to spot her. She handed her rabbits over to him and explained what had happened. Hiroaki emerged a few moments later with the massive stag.

Guards took the creature from the child so he could talk to Lupercus. Kagome tried to keep up with the conversation, but Hiroaki ran ahead leaving Lupercus nothing to do but catch up.

Kikyo caught Kagome's despair. "What happened out there?" The older girl asked.

Kagome gave her a baffled look. "I really don't know."

Kikyo nodded. "Replay your afternoon. When did it change?"

"He had killed the stag, was draining it. I told him I was hungry, and he offered me a piece of raw meat." She gave Kikyo a disgusted look. They started their walk back to the sanctuary of the compound. "I know he meant well, but I can't eat raw meat, I mean with all the bacteria and all. I know there's probably less parasites now than 500 years from now, but still…"She rambled.

"What happened after?" Kikyo stopped walking to fix her sandal.

"A demon came out of nowhere. I'm thinking that it was hungry. It thought the three of us were food. Before it could attack, I killed it."

"You purified it?" Kikyo watched Kagome and nodded when she nodded. "Has the demon ever seen a priestess before? Imagine. He's top of the food chain and suddenly everything he thought he knew was blown away by … you."

Kagome looked at Kikyo and understood. He was frightened by what he didn't know. She sighed. She felt bad, but she couldn't help what people thought of her.

Kikyo placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder. Kikyo knew how hard it was to keep a demon friend, especially when they found out what she was. It was a lonely existence. Kikyo vowed to make the young girl smile again. "Inuyasha has arrived with Shippo and more supplies from your world."

Kagome smiled brightly. The idea of holding Shippo tightly in her arms made all her previous feelings of sadness disappear. She had missed her special little guy dearly.

The two ladies hurried back to the compound, this time, their disposition was completely different than a few minutes prior. Kikyo's good news was what Kagome needed to hear.

* * *

The moment Shippo spotted Kagome. The kit let out a great cry of great joy and flew into the young woman's open arms. The mating game was put on hold that morning because the advisors were talking about Hiroaki's hunting ability. Apparently having a deaf child hunt was a rarity. Would someone also mention that it was a human female that taught the child how to hunt? Probably not, unless it was used to throw back in someone's face.

Kagome wasn't going to complain. She spent the entire day with Shippo, or rather, the boy refused to leave her side. She was going to be the last person to complain. Kagome told Shippo about the mating game, and how she had thwarted their challenges at every turn. Shippo absorbed the story and his glistening green eyes, twinkled with pride and mirth. He was proud to consider Kagome as his family.

Shippo was only too curious to find out about Hiroaki, and sign to him. After their evening meal, they went in search of the deaf boy and found him with Lupercus. The older demon greeted her with a giant hug and a kiss to each cheek. Shippo sniffed at the foreign man and nodded before paying his respects to the tiny version of Sesshomaru.

As Kagome thought, the boys hit it off and ran off to play with each other.

"He is afraid," Lupercus said as he sat down and pulled out a game of go.

"Who?" Kagome asked setting up the board. "Hiroaki? Why?" He should know by now that she would never hurt him.

"He's never met one of your kind before. It's a blow to the ego when you realize you're not top of the food chain. He's lived a sheltered life. He doesn't know much about the world around him." He placed a smoothed stone on the board. Kikyo's wise words of wisdom came flooding back to her. This was a familiar conversation.

Kagome quickly placed one of her own down. "But he's over a century, right? How could no one have taught him?"

They both continued to place a few stones before speaking.

"His life here is all he knows. His world is sheltered and small. It will be a process, but you shattered everything he thought he knew. It's always an adjustment when reality is not what it seems. He has come a long way since I've been involved. Sadly, he still has a long way to go. A lifetime of knowledge and experience is not something Hiroaki can learn, process, and retain overnight."

Kagome paused and placed the stone to her bottom lip. "That makes sense. I shattered his bubble. His safety and reassurance in this world is shaken by this boring teenager with a power to kill demons." Then again, her world too was shattered when she fell down the well and found out that demons weren't monsters in her closet or under her bed, but they were real. They were real, and they killed without pause.

She didn't judge them because they were demon. She judged them because they tried to kill her. Not all of them are bad, just some. Same could be said for humans.

Lupercus laughed. "You, my dear child, are far from boring. I'm sure you have many secrets waiting to be uncovered."

Kagome nodded and thoughtfully placed another piece on the board. Kagome waited for him to place his piece but he seemed lost in thought. As she waited for him to come back to reality, she scanned the horizon for Shippo and spotted him being playful and animated with Hiroaki. She loved Shippo. It broke her heart to know that one day she would have to leave him. She wanted to ensure he had memories to look back on fondly and remember her.

Kagome gave them both a smile, but only Shippo smiled and waved back. Time, it would take time. She understood. She understood _nature_ better than most people.

She knew Sango wanted to be here for her, but couldn't. She was a demon slayer by trade, by birth, by rite. She couldn't just come in, sit down, and become best friends with the demon beside her. She was trying, but they were little steps. Her instinct screamed kill. It took effort to go against nature.

She understood Kikyo's desire to be whole, but not dead. She couldn't have one without the other. It was a constant internal struggle to be. Some days were always better than others. She could feel her soul call out, and beg to be one unit, but to be one meant Kikyo would no longer exist. It was hard to fight the primordial call of life and death.

She understood Miroku's ticking time bomb. His internal clock, his primeval instincts, telling him to spread his seed. Fertilize and sow the land. Protect the bloodline and continue the genes, have as many kids as possible. It didn't matter that they would be fatherless, but his essence would remain long after he died. But more importantly, he didn't want to face his mortality alone. With the wind tunnel, that was the only foreseeable future. He wanted Sango, but didn't want to break her heart when it would come to be his time to leave. To do what his father and grandfather had done, die alone to save the ones they loved. So he walked his path close to her, but not with her.

It broke Kagome's heart every time the void ripped a tad larger.

"Why do you not attack us?" Lupercus looked to where Kagome was staring, and watched the boys play.

Kagome broke out of her thoughts, "Do you need to be attacked?"

He looked at the girl sitting before him, puzzled. "Most priestesses of your apparent caliber would have killed half the compound before being killed. Isn't that what you were trained to do? Kill as many demons as possible and purge your land…"

Kagome smiled sadly and placed her go piece back into her pile. "I was never trained. I didn't even know I was a priestess until I was 15. Here, girls are trained as young as 5. Compared to them, I'm old and untrainable. My mother taught me to love everyone, regardless of what they looked like. I look at Hiroaki and Shippo and I see the future. They are the future and what we instill upon them, today and tomorrow, is what will trickle down to the next generations after. I see hope, and love, and hopefully one day understanding."

"Your mother has trained her daughter to be a priestess I'm proud to have met. I would like to meet her one day and tell her."

Kagome laughed. "You have a tail; she would adore you. I think she would enjoy meeting you as well." The accent didn't hurt either, but she wasn't about to tell anyone that…

The game sat forgotten. They enjoyed the silence and watched life in front of them.

It wasn't long before a loud noise broke them out of their thoughts. An advisor came screeching about a new challenge. Kagome groaned and stood up. Couldn't they just call it a night? Why did they have to make up something now? She had been up since the crack of dawn and wanted nothing but to snuggle with Shippo under the blankets. Okay, yes, it was her fault, she woke up at an inhuman hour to take the boy hunting. You'd think the feast at dinner would have been enough.

She knew this challenge was her fault. She taught a deaf boy how to hunt. Hunting was the basic survival of life. Hopefully Sesshomaru was starting to see that Hiroaki wasn't as helpless as everyone thought. No good deed goes unpunished. It was time to face the music.

The four made their way to the room designed to hold the challenges. All the tables and seating pillows had been rearranged to make room for all the instruments. Kagome laughed at her former thought. ' _Time to face the music_.' Sometimes she wondered if she was psychic.

Kagome saw a variety of musical instruments. The koto, the shakuhachi, the shamisen, a flute, nameless others she had no idea how to use or how to play. She shared a look with Inuyasha, who was at the other side of the room with Kikyo, and he flattened his ears rudely. They both knew she was screwed.

She wasn't musically inclined, at all.

Kagome learned piano with Yuka because Yuka was obsessed with the piano teacher. So obsessed, that Kagome was the one that learned everything. Yuka on the other hand, sat on the other side of the teacher and drooled over him the entire time. Piano three times a week for two a half years. It was torturous. The only two songs she could play were "Gravity" from the anime Wolf's Rain, and Korsakov's "Flight of the butterfly", but that one she could only get up to 75% speed.

After the first year, Kagome wanted to quit. Even the teacher encouraged her to find another passion, but Yuka begged her to continue. Yuka was too scared to be alone with her "destined husband." Granted the teacher was in his early 20s and they were preadolescent girls. Turned out it was a one way relationship because the teacher ran away to Korea to marry his pen pal. When Yuka's heart was broken, the girl severed all tied to playing the piano.

Kagome was saddened by her friend's heartbreak. First loves were always the hardest. Kagome was relieved the torture was over though! Two and a half years later, she could tune a piano and play two songs. She wasn't gifted in music at all if that was the extent of her over thousand hours of practice.

"Everyone, pick an instrument. No one can play the same instrument twice." The advisor screamed out. Kagome broke out of her thoughts too late. It was a flurry of action. One by one, instruments were picked. Kagome stood shocked as every single instrument was picked. There was nothing available for her. Did she just seriously lose because they didn't provide enough instruments?

She glared at the advisors who wore smug looks on their faces. "You bastards! Cheating dickheads! I'll fuc-" Inuyasha was quieted by his mate. Kikyo silenced his words, but he still growled low, showing his discontent.

"We have a special instrument for you human." The advisor sneered. Kagome's stomach dropped. Her mind went to the lesser known instruments. Ones made out of weird and sickly material. No way, she wanted to blow on the penis bone of any animal. She had her limits.

It took six advisors to bring the instrument into the room. Kagome gasped. Her luck had turned. Everyone stared in awe at the marvel before them.

"Is this a gift from you?" She turned to Lupercus and asked.

He couldn't even blink in confusion. His horror was written all over his face. "I'm so sorry Kagome, I had no idea they would give this to you to play. Not even I know how. There are only a handful in my land that know."

The piano.

The piano, in feudal Japan, was an anomaly. It wasn't supposed to exist until the 1700s or 1698 depending on who you talked to. It was a great controversy with her piano teacher. So seeing the beauty of it a hundred years before it should have been created left her speechless. 1700 was in Italy, a country half way around the world. For a piano to reach Japan, it was much later than that.

If her teacher saw this here, right now, he would probably have had a heart attack. Granted, he might have had one when he realized demons and magic was real too. In that context, it was probably good he didn't know.

"Lupercus, you saved me." Kagome smiled to him. There was a god watching over her. She gave them thanks and fingered the wood and lightly touched the keys. She feathered them so they would emit no sound.

Kagome winked to Inuyasha. The dog demon blinked several times before registering that Kagome had this one in the bag, again. He crossed his arms and gave her the one fanged grin she found so utterly adorable (in a childish way).

"Everyone has their instrument. Play it to amuse and amaze your Lord. His mate needs to be someone who can sooth his soul and calm the beast." The beady eyed advisor said and called the ladies at random to play.

Some were amazing, and some were horrible. Some complained that they didn't have the right instrument or it wasn't tuned properly. All the others had finished and it was Kagome's turn. She sat on the bench and pressed a few keys, the piano was perfectly tuned. She smiled and played.

She was embarrassed to admit that she knew the ending to Wolf's Rain on piano, but today she was proud to know it. Shippo came and sat beside her and she softly sang the song. It was soft enough to keep her completely in key and have everyone hear it thanks to their superior hearing.

Silence filled the room when she finished playing. Lupercus' jaw was dropped. Hiroaki stood unaffected by the sound. She called him over. He was reluctant but with Shippo's encouragement he came forward.

The piano was crafted and begged to be played. Everyone was still in the spell of Kagome's playing, they didn't register until she had Hiroaki sitting on the lid.

"I play, you listen," Kagome signed.

The boy gave her a pointed look making Kagome giggle. There were more ways to listen than just with your ears. She was about to teach him a valuable lesson. She pressed a key and the boy's face lit up as he felt the vibrations. Each note gave off a different vibration almost as clear as a different note.

Hiroaki's wonder and awe made Shippo giggle.

Kagome took a deep breath, her fingers hit the bone keys and she was lost in the final piece she knew. She looked out of her peripheral view and Shippo's mouth was wide open, gaping like a fish. Hiroaki was doing no better. Kagome wondered if this was the first time he ever felt sound.

Her fingers flew over the keys, and she pushed herself to play faster. _Flight of the Bumblebee_ was a masterpiece to be played so you felt the bumblebee; you were the bumblebee. With each note, you felt the bee weave right and left, trying to stay alive.

When it ended, Shippo was still shell-shocked, Hiroaki was crying, and the entire audience was silenced. Kagome turned to the advisors, "So, by everyone's silence, I guess I both soothed and calmed the raging beast. I'll take that as a win."

Kagome smiled, her eyes twinkling. The advisors huffed and puffed, but she wasn't sure what Sesshomaru was thinking at this moment. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"Another victory guys, guess we have to stay a little while later." Kagome did her best to fake pout, but it lasted about as long as it took for Miroku to ask a female to bear his child.

Lupercus took no time in walking out with Kagome and her pack. "How do you know how to play this demon made instrument like a master?"

Kagome laughed. "I'm no master. Don't ask me to play anymore. I don't know anything else. Trust me, I've tried. I can't play anything else."

"Kagome, you my child, are an oddity. I will get to the bottom of this. I'm very happy my gift was of use. It means I can be selfish and get to learn more about you. I will figure out your secrets." Lupercus stared intently at Kagome.

The girl yawned, the anxiety and stress of today was over. She approached her isolated room and hugged the demon. "You can try. While you ponder over your hypothesis, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She didn't wait for his response before entering her room. Shippo wasn't far behind her. He closed the door, and the pair snuggled up for some well-deserved sleep.


	6. Part VI

A/N: Nice, long, almost double chapter for you. Thank you for your patience. I had hit a wall on how I would tie what I have (Chapters 1-5) to what I wrote for the future (different chapters, and the end- yes, the end is already written), and somehow this chapter is the bridge I needed. Sadly the bridge took longer than expected. Thank you for your patience. Much love! Enjoy

* * *

Part VI

Kagome enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with her friends. There was nothing scheduled, no insane and pointless test, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Rumors were spreading like wildfire because the advisors were seeking outside advice on possible challenges.

Kagome had called everything under the sun. The names were much more creative in the feudal era, as they didn't have the modernized, hurtful names like cunt and slut. She was referred to as fat, ugly, stupid, human, lewd, disgusting, indecent, and generally it was like elementary all over again. She was called a bitch on several occasions, and laughed every time. A bitch was simply a female dog. Her personal favorite was the feudal era equivalent to a "fluffer".

She had also been called the names like witch, or succubus, or devil. She had been called much worse over the years. Yuka and Eri weren't always her best friends. Those two knew how to sling words! Kagome thought little of the names they called her, she knew who she was. The only thing they couldn't call her was a quitter, because she refused.

She was now here to prove a point: Sesshomaru already had an heir.

Kagome had just finished her miso soup, placed it back down, and the servant lurking at the back of the room instantly removed the bowl. She had a love-hate relationship with being waited on hand and food, and she was about to say something when the bell rang. Kagome dreaded that sound. It signaled to everyone that the advisors have come up with a new test. She groaned loudly, as she rose from her seat. Kikyo glared at her, while Shippo and Inuyasha snickered. She chose to ignore Kikyo.

They walked into the large room along with the other contestants and waited. It wasn't the same room they started in, but it was large enough for everyone to fit comfortably. Attendants and servants still went back and forth as the council got settled.

Once Sesshomaru was settled, the advisor got up and spoke: "There will come a time when you must take care of the day to day while Sesshomaru is out patrolling his lands. Our Lord, Sesshomaru, demands a demonstration of your abilities to govern and pass judgement. One by one, you will be escorted into a room and will be made to pass judgement. Fail and you will be eliminated. Passing wrong judgement is also considered a failure and will black mark your pack."

The crowd looked about. Kagome rolled her eyes. If anything, Sesshomaru could stay home, and she would patrol the lands. That was a much better option. She sighed; she wasn't defeated, just compartmentalizing. She was on the debate team before she started this journey. She knew how to look at both sides, and possibly even come up with a compromise for both sides if it was deadlocked. More importantly, she was a human teenager from the 21st century. Diplomacy was in her blood. She was able to get away with so much as a girl, it was called tact. She was good at it.

"We will draw to see who passes judgement first." The advisor said but simply pointed at her instead. "Human, you shall be first. The rest of you are free to rest until I call for the next candidate."

"Sweet." Kagome said standing up and stretching her legs. She liked going first, if only to get this done and over with.

Kagome followed everyone into a smaller room. She sat on a large pillow and waited. Two identical female demons walked in and the advisor was carrying a tiny infant child in his arms.

Kagome watched closely. They walked, postured, looked, and very probably smelled identical. She wasn't a demon, so she couldn't confirm or deny her hypothesis.

"Present your case," Sesshomaru demanded.

The only thing Kagome could do was watch, listen, and use her 21st century knowledge to come up with the best possible solution.

Both females bowed and presented their case.

"My Lady," The demoness bowed, showing her respect, though it wasn't reflected in her eyes. "My sister and I had both given birth. We live together and gave birth on the same day. We both have the same mate. On the fifth day, my sister and I were alone in the house. Our mate was out on a hunt and wouldn't return for another couple of days."

The second identical one continued on with the story, "During this fifth night, my sister's son died because she had accidentally rolled onto him. So, she awoke in the middle of the night, took my son from my side, and replaced him with her dead son. When I awoke the next morning, I went to nurse my son, and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I knew right away that this was not my son, and she had switched them during the night."

The first demoness became angry. "No! This is my son." She pointed to the baby being held by the advisor. "The dead one is hers."

Her sister, the second demon, shook her head and insisted, "No, I'm sorry sister, the dead one is yours. The living one is mine."

Back and forth the two bickered for several minutes.

Kagome ignored them and looked at Sesshomaru. "So you want me to decide which one is telling the truth, which one is the mother and which one isn't?"

"Very astute." Sesshomaru gave a minimal nod.

"And if I had heightened senses, would I also come to the conclusion that their heartbeat and smell would be identical?"

The advisor smirked. Sesshomaru said nothing but kept his face at a cool impartial.

Kagome thought for a few minutes. She had read a story like this before. She wasn't sure if the Bible had come this way east yet, but she bet a few jewel shards that this was a tale of King Solomon made into living flesh. "This one says your son is alive and yours is dead." She pointed to the first sister. "And this one says her son is alive and her son is dead." Both sisters nodded in agreement.

"This is indeed an interesting dilemma. But it is easily solved. Bring the baby to me, and someone get me a sword." Kagome held the baby. He was cute. He smiled, and she smiled back. She could see why both sisters fought over him. The advisor came in with a small sword.

"My decision is made. Since both claim to be his mother, the baby shall be cut in half and each half given to the mother."

This time, Kagome saw two very different responses from the demons. The first laughed and said to cut the child; while the second sister begged to save his life and give him to her sister.

Kagome held up her hand to silence them. "The second is the true mother. Only she would willingly give away her son to keep him alive." She turned to Sesshomaru, "So, how did I do? Did I pass?" Kagome tickled the baby's belly. He burbled, and Kagome cooed over him.

"Priestess," The demon Lord said coldly, "You passed."

Kagome's smile didn't match her words. "Good. My other option was purifying both and keeping him all to myself." She lifted his shirt and blew a raspberry on his exposed tummy. The baby screamed in bliss and his laugh rang like a crystal bell in the room. She put his shirt back down. She took notice of the expression on both sister's faces. They were horrified. She handed the baby to Sesshomaru. The room seemed to stop. He held the baby, hesitantly. The advisors were rooted to the ground, unsure of what was happening. Kagome moved a small chunk of Sesshomaru's hair in front of the child's tiny fingers. He eagerly grabbed it and tugged. It laughed and bucked in the demon Lord's hold, expressing its sheer joy.

"A baby looks good on you Lord Sesshomaru. You should do this more often." Kagome did a slow once over. "Yup. Definitely a good look for you." She could feel her arousal forming. Nothing turned her on more than a strong man (or this case demon) holding an innocent baby. A garbled noise left her throat, it was somewhere between a growl and a moan. She left the room before she did something she would regret.

She didn't return to her friends; she needed a moment to recompose herself. Kagome felt her body flush. She took a few deep breaths to calm the pit of her stomach that started to coil. Who knew that Sesshomaru holding a baby was such a turn on? Kagome's mind went to Sesshomaru holding their children. She needed to shake those thoughts; fast. That was dangerous territory. She wasn't here to get pregnant; she was here to prove a point.

A few more deep breaths and she was calm, ready to return to her friends.

Kagome sat drinking her tea while more females tested their skills at diplomacy. The one after Kagome failed. The one after that failed too but told everyone what had happened with Kagome.

"Did you really give a baby to my asshole of a brother?" Inuyasha's voice raised several levels.

"Inuyasha! Language!" Kagome scolded.

Kikyo shook her head at her mate's outrage. "Did he kill the babe?" She watched Kagome shake her head. "Then love, no harm done." She tried to placate her mate.

"But Oh My God, that was so hot. Who knew that was such a turn on?" Kagome whispered to the elder priestess and fanned herself dramatically.

Kikyo was in a predicament.

Did she laugh with Kagome like she wanted to, did she chastise her, or did she soothe her mate's impending heart attack? She chose all of the above. She chuckled, rose gracefully from her seat, and escorted her mate from the room.

Kikyo watched Kagome get up from her seat and follow them slowly towards the outside. She suspected Kagome was off to find her new friends: Lupercus and Hiroaki and her kit Shippo.

Kikyo was honestly happy for Kagome. The young girl was removed from her time, forced to fight a battle that wasn't hers to fight, and somehow she still managed to do the unthinkable by forming their group which now included her. There was no hate, no judgement; the only thing Kagome radiated was acceptance. Kikyo had no idea of how to repay Kagome for such acceptance and friendship. But she would start with keeping Inuyasha as occupied as possible.

* * *

Kikyo was correct. Kagome did go off and venture to find the wolf and her fox. They were playing a game of go and having a leisurely game. The atmosphere was very quiet, but heated. Kagome loved Shippo's intense expression when he was thinking. He was a calculator; he planned everything out three moves ahead. It made her want to smooth out his brows and ruffle his hair, but she held herself back.

Hiroaki was playing against Shippo. Both were evenly matched. Hiroaki was still a little apprehensive towards the priestess, but he was slowly warming up again. Today, he smiled and resumed his game. It was progress, in Kagome's eyes. Lupercus walked over to her and the pair walked down a little ways away to give the children some thinking room.

"So I hear we had an interesting morning." Lupercus's tone was playful.

Kagome instantly blushed. "I know not what you speak. All I did was surpass another challenge." Kagome brushed her hair past her shoulders.

Lupercus chuckled. "That's not what I heard. You gave Sesshomaru a living child, to and correct me if I'm wrong, to hold onto?" The wolf watched her, curiously, and slowly it turned into a horrified expression as a dreamy film covered her eyes.

Kagome blinked a few times and shook her head to dislodge the puff of fluff forming in her imagination. "I'm of child bearing age. I wanted to make sure he was up for the challenge of being a father. I mean, just because most females raise the children by themselves, doesn't mean I'm the same. My future children will be raised by both parents. It takes two to make a baby, it should also mean it takes two to raise it." Kagome reasoned. This was one thing she was unwilling to waiver on.

She was raised by a single parent, and she understood how difficult it was. Mama struggled every day. She was alone in the decision making for every aspect of her life and her children's life. Sure, she had grandpa for advice, but he thought selling Kappa feet would deem a worthy investment. The only way to learn about parenting was through trial and error.

The pair stood in silence watching demons in their humanoid and animal shapes walk around the compound.

Lupercus thought it over. "What about war? What about the hunt? Traditionally, this is the man's responsibility. Would you take this away from him?"

Kagome laughed. "You should know by now, I am not one for traditions or conventions. Besides, I believe Diana is your _goddess_ of the hunt."

Lupercus smiled. "Point taken."

"I can hunt when I need to." Kagome continued, "I am resourceful. As for war, they better not fight without me. You haven't seen me fight yet, but I will tell you that I am an asset to any team. I am, by far, not the strongest, but I am the cavalry. What I do expect from the father of my children is an equal partnership. I will not have it any other way." Kagome looked over at the servants running about. She watched as the losing parties consoled each other or pack up to leave. The black mark threatened by the advisor was actually true this time round. They left quickly and quietly.

"You sound much like my Lupa. She required an even more special mate." Lupercus smiled as Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Men." She shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? So if you have an equal partnership, why can't everyone? I mean, aside from founding Rome in the West, no offense," She stopped to make sure he wasn't about to take what she said personally, "What makes you two so special?"

Lupercus looked at her oddly before responding. "You are correct. There is nothing special about either of us. We are also not the typical demon; we don't have the same views as most demons here. I believe you would call our partnership 'forward thinking.' Not everyone wants to admit that their mate is of equal standing. It is a shame, because so much can be accomplished together rather than apart."

Kagome sighed and nodded her head in agreement. She was about to answer then the dreaded bell went off. Her eyes widened and she could feel her heart drop into her stomach. There was no way everyone was done. Why were they issuing a new challenge already? What was going on? Shippo stopped playing his game and watched Kagome. Based on her expression, this was not expected. Kagome discontinued her conversation and was on her way to the dreaded room. Lupercus signed to Hiroaki what was happening. It wasn't long before the three male demons trailed Kagome into the large room.

Kagome could hear the commotion from outside. Entering, the noise was close to deafening.

"Not all of the females are done with the challenge!" One female shouted in outrage from the back.

"I haven't had my turn yet!" One of the other demons irritated.

"Calm down. You will have a turn. The children are starting to get restless. The next challenge will be to calm them. If you calm them, then you may take tomorrow off and enjoy the private hot springs with Sesshomaru's personal servants to attend to you." The advisor sneered as all the candidates quickly gathered up the children like cattle and went to entertain them.

Kagome stood watching in sickly fascination at the train wreck waiting to happen. Bending down, she spoke to the kit, "Shippo, I need you to run and get me all the art supplies, and your favorite book."

The small fox nodded and ran towards Kagome's room. Kagome watched the other female do the easy part of rounding up the children. The children were a mixture of demons, humans, and half breeds. It was like the night of the party before Shippo arrived. All races and breeds were playing together with no care in the world.

"Do you know why Sesshomaru has issued this challenge?" Lupercus spoke.

Kagome thought about it for a second and nodded in understanding.

"He's obviously doing this to get back at me. I mean, I did shove a baby in his arms, so he's trying to shove every single child in this compound onto me in retaliation. However, with the promises of a spa day to the winner tomorrow, he's also effectively trying to block any and all chances I have to calm them."

Kagome watched as one of the younger, more dainty-like demons corral the children and made them stand there. The demon was unsure of what to do next. She called upon her attendant to take care of the group of children.

The in-fighting started between candidates. There was a bickering between them as to who would win the private hot springs. Kagome shook her head at the idea of using Sesshomaru's personal attendants as a gateway to better standings.

Shippo returned with Kagome's yellow backpack.

"Here's what you wanted Kagome!" Shippo handed her the thick strap.

"Thanks Shippo. Now find us a comfy spot and we'll begin with story time." Shippo bounced away super excited. He found the perfect spot at the back of the room, right in the center of the wall. He placed a pillow down and waved her over enthusiastically.

Kagome laughed as she set her bag down. She removed Shippo's favorite book: Sleeping Beauty. Then again, who didn't love a story with princesses and princes and dragons and curses? It was a child's dream! Kagome started to read the story. Children were naturally drawn into Kagome's storytelling. The bright and vivid pictures held her audience captive. Even the adults stood behind the children and listened. The young girls swooned as the prince showed up to rescue them. The boys cheered as the dragon roared and the prince fought it off.

By the end of the book, each and every child sat in complete silence, keen with rapt attention. Sesshomaru stood at the other end, his face stoic. The advisors were seven different shades of red and purple. They were hoping that Kagome wouldn't get a word in with a spa day looming overhead.

The children's attendants moved to gather them for lunch, but none of them wanted to go.

"Children!" Kagome said gathering their attention. "After lunch, we can all come back here and continue on. We can draw pictures and create our own stories and read them to each other."

The children cheered in delight and hurried the attendants out of the room. The faster they ate and finished, the faster they could come back.

"You haven't won." An advisor hissed. "There are still others that would like a chance to try."

Shrugging, she knew it was coming. "I'm fine with that. I'll be around if you need me." She suggested that they go to lunch, and the three demons agreed. Kagome packed up her yellow backpack and went into the chaos of talking children.

The four of them ate their lunch and watched as the children raced back to the room, only to be slightly disappointed. The next demon tried her hand at storytelling, but failed miserably. She ranted and raved about a clothing stall in town that sold the best items, but charged a small fortune.

Kagome watched as the children grew more restless and bored. Both were deadly combinations. It escalated from there. Screaming and fighting started. More female demons jumped in. Calm children equaled a free spa day. It was a train wreck.

Kagome sifted through her bag. She found her last science project with Shippo, and her latest Halloween costume. She was probably going to die, but with great risk came great reward. She pulled out the long white wig, the contacts, the fake gloves that looked like claws, and the outfit that took her months to prepare.

Lupercus blinked at Kagome, unsure of the obvious in front of him. Kagome slipped into an empty room and changed into clothing that resembled Sesshomaru's. The only reason she had it was because she was working on the pattern and stitching of Sesshomaru's kimono when all of this started. Kagome wanted to make sure she was his exact replica for Halloween when it arrived. Sadly, that meant she had to carry about a little extra bulk in her pack. But today, was the day to test it all out in front of people who knew Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha was insulted she wanted to be Sesshomaru and not him. But when she gave him a girly voice and fake poison, he was laughing as hard as Sango and Miroku. Seeing her best friends laugh this hard made her take her time stitching everything together.

She walked back into the room. Shippo started to laugh, while Lupercus stared almost blankly, and Hiroaki was utterly confused. Kagome used a small mirror to put in the contacts, and slipped her hair up and into the wig. The new demons gasped, and Shippo continued to laugh. She attached the baking soda to the gloves and added the vinegar with green food dye to the other compartment. When Kagome pressed her fingers together, the baking soda and vinegar would mix creating bubbly foam that smelt just like acid.

Lupercus and Hiroaki both stood with their mouths open as Kagome tested her invention. It worked. "Science," Kagome signed. She stood up as regal as she should and flicked her long flowing win behind her shoulders and winked. Lupercus and Hiroaki were laughing; it was a good sign. She had confidence to continue, and she strode into the screaming room. Shippo wasn't too far behind.

One of the demons screamed, but it literally was drowned out by the children screaming.

A few stopped to stare at Kagome. Some knew it wasn't Sesshomaru, but were unsure of what was happening. "I see you are all being devious monsters. Who dares not listen to this Sesshomaru?" Kagome imitated him as best as she could. Shippo was literally on the ground rolling and clutching his stomach.

"This Sesshomaru sentences you all to death. Feel my wrath for being disobedient children." Kagome worked her fingers and the children's jaws hit the floor. They all ran away fearing the acid as if it was real.

Kagome went about chasing the children, using her gruffest roar, but smiling the entire time. Shippo was the first one to be caught and to feel the wrath of her acid. She touched his forehead. He stood where he was in confusion, touching it with a clawed hand.

Kagome whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "You're supposed to play dead."

Shippo was melodramatic and played his death scene very well. Soon the children all wanted to be killed or touched with the acid. Some boys pretended to have swords or other various other weapons.

The children's laughter once again pierced the room.

Kagome was bathing one of the kids in an acid bath, when they stopped and stared at the opened door. Kagome stood and watched as Sesshomaru took sight of her. For a fraction of a second, his golden eyes widened, and she could see actual emotion pass through them.

She stalked him, blinking a few times. "You are an imposter. For that you shall die." Kagome worked her hands, the last of the remaining vinegar and baking soda foamed at her fingertips." She touched his cheek. The liquid simply sat on his cheek marring his perfect chiseled features.

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

Kagome disregarded him and turned back to the children. She clutched her heart and dramatized her death scene. By the end, the children were laughing and crawling all over her.

"Enough!" The demon lord regarded the pile of children with disdain. "Find another activity, but abstain yourself from this degradation."

"I wish you were the real Sesshomaru." One of the children whispered to Kagome. "Me too." Another child confessed.

Sadly, their wishes were overheard by every demon standing in the room. Kagome saw the look of almost rage on the demon Lord. Kagome did the only thing she could do. She laughed it away, for they were just children.

Advisors and the candidates tried to get the children to do something else, but after going up to battle against the real Sesshomaru, Kagome was a hit. They wouldn't leave her.

She quickly changed and returned to them.

She pulled out every crayon, marker, pencil, and paint she had so the children could draw their own stories. Shippo was such a good sport and shared everything. For being such a trooper, she promised him pocky tonight, and she vowed that when she went home she would buy him the box of crayons with 120 different colors, not just the usual 64 he had now.

Most candidates gave up trying to herd the children. Some took part in the coloring, witnessing some colors never seen before. The children were quiet, dangerously so, if it had not been for their concentration on their artwork.

Kagome noticed the sun was slowly setting, and more adults filtered into the room to collect the children for dinner. Inuyasha stepped in and stood watching. He enjoyed watching Kagome do what she loved to do.

The children were called for dinner. Most groaned and complained. They were quietly tidying up, when one of the children asked Shippo, "How did you get her for a mom?"

Shippo stopped what he was doing, and shrugged with blatant honesty, "My parents died."

"Does that mean if my parents die, she can be my mom too?"

The room was silent. The child continued on, "I can do it."

Then another child piped in, "I want Kagome to be my mom too!"

It was at that point, attendants and servants were quick to separate the children from their innocent but murderous thoughts.

Inuyasha laughed and turned to his brother. "That is Kagome's true power. She has the power to turn people towards her. People want to be near her and will do whatever ever is necessary to see that it's done." He watched his brother's expression, smug smirk across his features at the older demon's ire. "Scary, isn't it?"

Sesshomaru watched as Kagome and Shippo continued to pack up the remaining supplies. He said nothing in response before leaving the room.

Inuyasha turned and started to help Kagome pack. Shippo told Inuyasha all about the Halloween costume and how cool Kagome was when she got acid on Sesshomaru's cheek.

Kagome turned to the boys to laugh at them, when she caught Inuyasha's ghost expression, followed by the slow eye roll towards the back of his head. They just reached him before he fainted and fell flat on his face.

Kagome groaned and glared at Shippo. He pulled his cute fox card, and she caved. Kagome wondered how much trouble she was going to be in once he awoke. She sent Shippo to find Kikyo. If anyone could control him it was her. She hurried and shoved everything in the bag and was gone before he came to.


	7. Part VII

Part VII – Beauty

As always, my eternal gratitude to my wicked (totally awesome) friend Erinn who hates me (very true) because she needs to read this before it gets to you. It's really terrible the first several times around, and she rereads it every time. I love her for it.

A/N – Hello everyone, I'm not dead. Here's another installment. Please read, enjoy, and if you like/hate/feel indifferent, review. Life… what can I say, it sucks me in, and writing gets placed on the back burner.

Also, I am looking for an experienced Beta who would like to take some time to edit my future work. If you can, please send me a message.

* * *

They gave Kagome the topic of the next challenge. She didn't like it, which was why she was chewing on her nails, the very same ones she took extreme pride in attempting to grow. The advisors had droned on and on about how the future Lady of the West, Mother of his children, would not be seen as a whore, or how his future daughters would not be allowed to cohort with the 'common wenches.' And yes, the advisors were again looking directly at her.

She found the entire proceeding to be a little on the pretentious side. What was the actual challenge? Was Kagome supposed to dress up as a lady? It would be a smart plan. Kagome wasn't a beauty like half the challengers. She would need to work twice as hard to have half of the beauty a demoness possessed. The only thing she had was technology.

Kagome had fabric dyed in multiple colors stashed in Kaede's hut. Kagome had stockpiled over the years many bolts of fabric. Many different colors and textures, most of her fabrics weren't found or conceived in the feudal era.

It also helped that she got the fabric super cheap from the discount bin. Orange polyester? That was her riches! A fluorescent pink knit jersey material? It was worth more than the crowned family jewels. Of course, the local 100 yen store couldn't be left out, the amount of makeup not made from beetles intestines or ground shells was well worth the supply stock also located in Kaede's hut.

Foundations and mascaras would eventually dry out, but powders would last forever. Colors in rich blues, deep greens, vibrant purples, and several different shades of red provided the shrine with a new roof and several other repairs. Kaede helped repackage some of the makeup and helped Kagome sell it while she was busy fighting demons and collecting shards.

The priestess from the future had long returned to her little hut at the back of the compound and waited for the specific challenge. Kikyo had provided the tea, and Shippo provided much-needed encouragement. Both Kikyo and Shippo were reminding Kagome of every tool she had to play, every trick Shippo had seen Kagome produce from her bags. Their reassurances made the wait slightly more tolerable.

There was a soft knock on the door, snapping Shippo out of his thoughts, Kikyo continued to silently sip her tea, and Kagome stopped pacing in the small space to see who was there.

Kagome gasped. Before a word was said, a note was held out in front of her face. The writing was elegant and undeniably masculine. Was it Sesshomaru's or an advisor?

 _Transform her_.

The note was so vague and open that Kagome was stumped where even to start as she gazed at the demon who delivered it. Standing before her was a battle-hardened warrior. She wasn't a delicate flower.

This was more than just a simple task of creating a kimono for herself or putting on some perfumes and makeup. This level of transformation would be a whole undertaking.

There would be much work to do.

Kagome took a deep breath while allowing all her teenage judgments come out to play. Kagome took note of all her first impressions: the thick, bushy unibrow; the dull black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail; the cold, dead, lifeless eyes; the clogged pores.

Kagome's eyes continued to look over the demon in front of her. She took note of the haggard hands, the scars across her neck and falling to her chest bone but couldn't be certain as her armor covered it. The demon's clothes were ill-fitting, they were meant for the frame of a man, not a woman. The demon continued to stare at Kagome, and she watched as the demon's fingers twitched constantly wanting to pull her sword, the silence heavy and awkward. Her gaze of judgment continued to the heavy stance, the shifting gaze, the small breasts, the full hips, the curl of the lips…

"Shippo, I need a pen and paper please," Kagome requested, there was so much to remember.

The fox child was quick to retrieve them. "Here you are Kagome. What are you gonna do?" He asked in wonderment.

Kagome started to write furiously on the page. She would look up, ask the demon to spin, and continue to write. She stopped a few moments later satisfied with what was on the page. "This is a good starting point." Kagome waved the page. All her judgments turned into things to transform.

Shippo was curious and took the paper from her hands starting to read it aloud, "Hair – dull, needs a cut and a shine booster?" Shippo asked confused. He was used to Kagome's weird things from the future and took them in stride, but this was something he had never heard before. "Eyebrows – pluck, trim, shape. What's wrong with her eyebrows?" Shippo's voice was thick with confusion. "They look like eyebrows. It's not like anyone notices that."

Kagome laughed and took the paper away from the fox-child.

"Live long enough, and you will have an idea that my list is nothing compared to what you can see."

Shippo nodded in understanding. The future was vastly different than his current reality. He had seen pictures, and one afternoon, he had seen what Kagome called a "video camera" and watched the moving pictures of her home with fascination. But that was their secret.

"Hi, I'm Kagome." Kagome bowed to the guest.

"Sasori." The demon half snarled, clearly not happy to be here. Kagome took the tone with a grain of salt. Why would a fighter want to be transformed? It was more likely ordered from someone at the top. Sesshomaru or one of the advisors? Her money was on Sesshomaru. She could see Sasori killing an advisor before she listened to them

"Scorpion?" Shippo's tail flicked, and his voice rose in a question.

"That's a masculine name for a female," Kagome added without thinking.

Sasori stared deadpan at her before responding without warmth, "My father wanted a son."

Kagome nodded, "Understood. My job is to make you into a goddess?" When Sasori didn't respond, Kagome plowed ahead, trusting her judgment, "It will be tedious and painful. Are you up for the challenge?"

"My Lord personally assigned me to you. For him, I will endure anything." Her resolve was solid, and it confirmed Kagome's unasked question. So Sesshomaru presented Kagome with the best of the worst.

Kagome appreciated a challenge, but this was a monumental undertaking.

"You have until sunset to present me. I shall be compliant, but I am not willing. I will not help you succeed." Sasori's cold eyes burned into Kagome's. The statement was clear, ' _I'm doing this under duress, please have mercy on me._ '

Kagome and Shippo shared a look while Kikyo sat quietly as a wallflower and enjoyed her tea. The first thing Kagome tackled was Sasori's skin. It was dry, weathered, and blistered. Sasori wasn't a servant or a demon of standing. She was scarred and rough where the skin was supposed to be supple and soft.

Soon, the little hut was filled with homemade scrubs, pastes, and smells. Shippo was off to play with other children, his keen little nose not being able to tolerate the concentrated smells. Although he wanted to help, when it came to girl stuff, he was still out of his league. Shippo suspected Miroku would be on the same page, probably even Sango!

As soon as the fox demon left, Kagome asked Sasori to undress so all of her skin could be exposed to the treatment. The demon didn't speak, but she removed the breastplate followed by the layers of cloth. When she was done folding her clothing, she rested her weapons on top for easy access. Then the demon sat on the elevated piece of wood naked except for the bindings wound tightly covering her breasts.

Kagome kept an eye out for the tail which would curl and uncurl with every breath. It wasn't a huge tail, but being a scorpion meant you couldn't take it lightly. They could be dangerous if provoked. And here Kagome was poking it, literally.

"Kikyo, there is a lot of work to be done. Can I get you to rub her entire body with the apricot and walnut scrub?" The priestess was busy pulling out tools of the trade she never thought she'd have to use outside the hot spring.

"May I ask why? Isn't she going to be garmented anyway?" The question was valid, and even the scorpion demon was waiting for an answer.

Kagome laughed. "Two reasons, the first is so when she wears her new clothes, they won't snag on any rough patches of skin, and the second reason is just because dad wanted a boy, doesn't mean you have to pretend to be or feel like one."

The demon remained silent while Kikyo smiled softly. "You know you can still quit at any time and none of your pack would think any less of you."

"I know. But it's no longer about me. It's still about winning and telling Sesshomaru no. That end game hasn't changed. It's now for people like Sasori here." The demoness raised her eyebrow and tilted her horned head in confusion. "Just because you're born a female doesn't make you any less than one of them. Just because I'm human doesn't make me any less because of my species." She spoke with passion and conviction. Her eyes sparkled and her smile lit up the room. Kikyo was hopeless to say anything. Part of the reason Kagome was Alpha; she made a lot of sense.

Kagome tackled the eyebrows, while Kikyo rubbed the scrubs onto Sasori's skin exfoliating it. The morning ended with a quick break to stretch muscles, gather up their supplies and to move to the bathhouse.

There Kagome tackled the lifeless hair, armed with oils and masks and a pair of sharp scissors. The once one length hair was cut to promote growth, and the bangs framed her face, softening the look. The hair was far from perfect. She could see the different lengths and the mess she had created. But it looked better. Hair grew fast for a demon, right? She couldn't be too sure. Shippo continually refused, and Inuyasha had destroyed three pairs of scissors.

Sasori was starting to look like a female demon. Her sun-kissed hardened skin looked softer, and the demon's face softened under the shaped eyebrows. There was still lots to do; then Kagome noticed that her fire-colored eyes deepened. It was weird because she could swear that they were a solid, lifeless hue when they first met a few hours ago. Kagome found herself drowning in the depths as they changed. They were swirling pools of fire, amber, and ice, and the demon's gaze was suddenly terrifying and hauntingly beautiful.

"Wow. I've never noticed how hypnotizing your eyes are."

Kikyo stood and pulled Kagome away. Kikyo drew a sutra from her pocket and prepared for battle.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked utterly confused. She blinked rapidly waiting for her brain to process but failed. Instead, she looked between the two waiting for the diplomatic setting to fail and for all hell to break loose.

"She is the heir to the clan. Only those destined to rule have those eyes. They say that if you look into them, then you will forever be under its spell." Kikyo refused to stare anywhere near her face. Thankful her job of applying the facial mask was done.

"I need to see this myself," Sasori demanded. "I am no heir. Father said so." She made her way to the water's edge and gasped. "This isn't possible!" The scorpion demon grabbed Kagome and eyeballed her, "What did you do to me?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Wasn't me. Whatever you are going through is all your own doing. My job is to transform you. I am." Kagome continued to stare at the demoness, "From a warrior to a something that will win this challenge. Not from a soldier to whatever you're becoming."

"Kagome!" Kikyo barked in alarm, warning her sharply, "Stop staring into her eyes. They will enchant you forever!"

Kagome blinked and looked at Kikyo and laughed. "I'm not. Nothing to worry about." Sasori let go of Kagome like she was burned. "Now, let's get back to work. I have much more on the list." Kagome told the pair and continued trimming the dead ends. She hoped this would at least end the tension emitting from the other priestess.

Kikyo stole a look at the flabbergasted demon, silently agreeing. Kagome was too sweet for her own good. Everyone was out to get you; was the motto Kagome needed to adopt if she wanted to survive. This was another mystery attached to her reincarnation. Kagome wasn't drawn into the strong magnetic pull of the demon's powerful gaze.

The pretend hairdresser continued to chat away, while she trimmed the hair, mindful of the large horns protruding out the side of her head. When Kagome was finished, she applied a strongly perfumed mask to the demon's hair and washed her hands to clean them of the clay.

As the mask was doing its job, Kagome moved onto the nails with a wince. Sasori's hands were in dire need of a manicure. Kagome retrieved her kit from her bag and started to clean up the cuticles and dry skin around the nail bed. Kagome would have killed for a modern salon with power tools. But when in Feudal Japan, the best she could do was the slow process of clipping away all the folds and rips of dry skin carefully.

She couldn't do anything about the hardened callouses, but she would intensely moisturize them and bathe them in a lemon balm after the demon was bathed and dry.

Kikyo left to retrieve a pitcher for the bath water. Sasori used this time to try again, flexing her manifesting powers, "Look at me, human. Listen to what I have to say and obey."

"Yes, lord and master. I will do whatever you ask," Kagome's tone was deadpan, she always did a horrible impression of a robot. She couldn't keep the façade up for long before she giggled lightly, "Keep trying Sasori; I'm sure you'll brainwash me one of these times."

"Why won't you fall under my hypnotism?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders and clicked her tongue. "A lot of things don't affect me. I wouldn't be too concerned about it."

"What are you?" She asked with wonderment her icy tone chipping. "Your friend is right; I am dangerous. You should be my slave right now."

"I have more important things to do?" Kagome posed her answer as a question. She was unsure of it too, but with the challenge looming, she would rather spend her time winning rather in introspect. Maybe it was because she was from the future? She had spent many nights wondering the same question, and this situation would be added to the pile.

"Like win this pathetic game and get back to the life I'm missing," Kagome continued. "You are not on my list of things to kill, and I would like to keep it that way." Kagome finished the one hand and started on the other.

"You know I could have killed you a thousand times over by now."

Sasori inspected the work done to her hand. It was like she was looking at a hand not her own. They were hands that belonged to a lady of the court and not a warrior on the battlefield.

"And I could have killed you too," Kagome looked up. "But this," She waved her hand in front of Sasori, "What we are doing here and now is about trust. I trust you to be cooperative and let me do what I need to do. And you trust me not to kill you where you sit. Or at least that's what Sesshomaru hopes for if he sent you."

"The one who left is the priestess. I feel her powers. You feel human. At most a priestess in training, someone who will forever stare into the priestess' shadow and wish you had what she did."

Kagome sighed and pulled away. For a split second she felt the loss and longing knowing she will never be Kikyo, then anger that she was once again compared to Kikyo, then acceptance that they are two separate people and people will forever be simple minded. Their relationship was complicated.

Sadly, Kagome would have to demonstrate to Sasori that Kagome was trying to keep a very tight reign on her powers and what she was projecting. Slowing her breathing, Kagome concentrated and felt a tendril of power break through the confines of where she kept her power. It took immense concentration to not release the floodgates. This wasn't a battle.

Kagome didn't drop the curtain, just pulled it back. Her powers were something that scared all demons, and while here, she didn't want to draw a target to herself. This contest was a bullseye enough for her. The feel of power was like a slight flash of skin. Like a lover teasing its partner in a brief glimpse of flesh.

She watched as Sasori's eyes widened in fear. It was never a good sign. Kagome was quick to pull back the power, but the damage was done.

Shippo tore into the room, his fur standing up on end. "I'm here Kagome." His voice wavered. He was scared but persevered through it to help his friend. Shippo was highly tuned to Kagome, and the kit needed her. She needed to live for him to live. That was the basic foundation of their relationship.

Kagome was quick to scoop him up and soothe his fears. She nuzzled his head as he fit under her chin. Softly, Kagome explained what was going on. Soon, the fox child relaxed in her hold and grew bolder. Shippo, naturally, went to look into her eyes and was mesmerized.

Sasori picked up the child and looked deep into his eyes. "Child." She addressed him.

Shippo was instantly entranced. "Yes, Mistress."

Kagome cleared her throat, prepared to kill the demon if she stepped out of line. She clenched the tool and prepared to launch an all-out attack. No one harmed her friends. If they did, they didn't live to tell the story.

"I want you to go play with your friends and know that your friend is safe and protected with me." She patted his head and set him down on the ground.

"Yes, Mistress." Shippo scampered off with a wave and a 'bye, Kagome.' gleefully leaving the pair to resume his gameplay.

"This is interesting," Sasori looked at the girl clutching her tool/makeshift weapon. "Would you fight me to save the demon child?"

Kagome sat back down and smiled. "In a heartbeat." Kagome held out her hand so she could resume her manicure.

Sasori said nothing but nodded and gave her hand back to the girl looking thoughtful.

"Do you know why they picked me for you?"

Kagome sighed and thought about it before answering, "I'll take a guess. I'm confident no one wanted to be touched by a human."

Sasori laughed, "That is part of it."

Kagome looked at the scorpion demon and nodded before resuming her work. "But I think more importantly, what do I know about beauty? I know nothing about demon beauty and the perception of it in demon terms. Most humans in this time aren't wealthy enough, aren't educated enough, or have the necessary connections to procure that's needed. As you can clearly tell, I am different. I'm ok with that. The real test of this round is to see which demon is strong enough to put up with me poking them all day and have it not end in bloodshed." She laughed. "This is a test for you too. The fact we managed to," Kagome waved her fingers at her eyes not finding the right words. "You just turned complete badass."

Kikyo returned in time to wash out the hair mask. They did so in peaceful silence. Everyone lost in their thoughts.

Kagome sat back and admired her makeover.

The scars on Sasori's face were covered with concealer. The deeper scars were not covered, but Kikyo used crushed flowers and beetles to design a scorpion over the inflamed tissue running down her neck.

Her ebony hair glistened against the dull black of the horns. Instead of painting her lips with the same color Kikyo used, Kagome used a hydrating lip gloss to plump up the full lips. Kagome intended to go full on with traditional geisha makeup, but Kagome couldn't deny the battle hardened warrior was strikingly beautiful. Instead, Kagome played on those strengths. A light coat of mascara, and black kohl eyeliner on the top lids to draw attention to her eyes.

Sasori glowed. Of course, it was the sparkles; Kagome sprinkled lightly in her hair that made her radiant. She couldn't help it. Luckily no one knew what sparkles were or how evil they truly were.

Kagome retrieved the kimono from her trunk. Inuyasha had been kind enough to run to Kaede's to retrieve it. His reward had been three packages of ramen and didn't have to help with anything.

The kimono was metallic silver with small sakura blossoms popping from the waist down in royal purples, canary yellows, and hints of orange golds. Kagome refused to listen to the protests. It was all wrapped nicely in a white obi.

Sasori looked like a magical princess. Kagome had woven her magic, and now it was up to the rest to say if she had passed. Sasori was given a small mirror, and the transformation before her took her breath away. She was beautiful, a hardened warrior who didn't care about looks, but just once, it was nice to feel how the head of her clan was supposed to be represented. They were just in time for their deadline.

It wasn't long before a transformed Sasori was before Sesshomaru. Kagome and company were soon in pursuit. They followed Sasori to the room to be judged. Kagome watched as Sesshomaru sat bored while the advisors were criticizing every little mistake. It was absurd and tedious. When the room noticed Sasori, everyone within went silent. Soon there was chatter between people over who stepped into the room. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow for a fraction of a second. His micro expression was the tell Kagome was looking for.

"You wished for me to be transformed. I was. I am. May I, please resume my duties?" Sasori suddenly felt very uncomfortable in the room.

"Indeed." Sesshomaru rose and went to inspect his warrior. "Transformed indeed." His tone chilled.

Kagome perked up and smiled. "Guess that's another passing test." She interlocked her arm with Sasori and started to lead her out the room. "Now let's get you into some familiar clothes. I know just the thing to make you feel better." Kagome winked at the scorpion demon.

Sasori's eyes narrowed slightly not liking the tone taken by the girl. Not only had this girl tortured her slowly, but she had also taken great pleasure in the deed.

Kagome didn't wait for the demon to respond, "A weapon." Kagome smiled.

Sasori let out the breath she'd been secretly holding. "And binding for my breasts. I don't know what to do with these things. They just get in the way." Kagome couldn't help but laugh. A new friend and a successful challenge, this was a good day.

Both ignored the stares as they walked gracefully out of the room.


	8. Part VIII

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, and/or liked this story. I'm happy people are still reading this. I haven't forgotten! It's not dead. My goal is to have it all done, edited, and published this summer. Huge thanks to Erinn, who I adore dearly, and she puts up with me and my "demands". Please read and enjoy.

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Waking up in the feudal era was always surreal. There was no hustle and bustle of everyday modern civilization. No cars were zipping by on the narrow streets. No slamming of doors from people rushing out to the subway stations or bus stops. There were no hums of water heaters, furnaces, or electronic devices.

She could hear the birds hopping on the dry ground searching for bits of grain or seed. She could hear Shippo's quiet breathing, indicating that he was still sound asleep. She could listen to the sound of her voice inside telling her to go back to sleep.

It was this moment she enjoyed the most. Then, like clockwork, her best friend, Inuyasha would take notice and demand she wake up and make breakfast or take down camp so they could resume their travel for jewel shards.

She wondered how that would go now. Inuyasha had a mate, a life partner. He had someone to 'order' to make his breakfast. Would Kikyo join their group? Would the dynamics of their core change? Would Miroku and Sango accept the help of the dead priestess? Would Kikyo turn on her again and kill her for her soul?

The what-ifs in her mind caused her to groan and shake the thoughts from her head. She would address her concerns if and when the situation came up. Until then, she would treat Kikyo no differently than she had before. She would treat her like her best friend's life partner. Inuyasha was owed that much.

Kagome didn't want to get out of bed, but she figured she had to. She wanted to wake up once and enjoy the day as much as she could before the advisors sent her down another rabbit hole. There weren't many candidates left. Anyone left would have been an amazing and powerful mate. But to the advisors, there could be only one. The best of the best. The cream of the crop. The proverbial cherry on top. Kagome sighed.

She didn't feel superior or better than anyone. She was an average girl from the future. She shook her head and sat up, making sure she didn't wake Shippo. Aside from being a creature 500 years into the future and having powers to purify demons, she was about as ordinary as a person could get.

She quickly got dressed and left the tiny hut that was her "home." She was surprised Inuyasha hadn't been on her case about gathering shards, and that realization made her pause in her step. Was he getting Kikyo to find shards while she was here? That realization slightly saddened her. Was she even his "shard detector" anymore? Was she even needed?

Growling to herself to get the depressing thoughts out of her head, she stepped into the forest outside the protection of the compound and went for a walk to clear her head. Kagome's thoughts turned to the deaf demon boy. She knew the boy wasn't trying to hurt her, but he had. She couldn't help but feel like a piece of her was broken. She forgave Hiroaki instantly, but she thought she had some trust built. It was a gentle reminder that not everyone was as easily forgiving or well versed in the world.

The smell of dew on the forest leaves made Kagome forget her thoughts for a moment and basked in the scent. She could smell the fresh grass and the dirt underneath. Wildflowers were nearby. A buzz of a bee made her pause. She didn't like bees, or bugs, or anything creepy crawly. The birds sang in the predawn light. She walked absentmindedly through the forest. She wasn't sure exactly where she was, but she was close enough to find her way back: eventually.

Kagome made sure to keep some of the perimeters in view. All she needed was to be lost. Cause that would go over fantastically well with everyone.

Kagome laughed quietly over the search party that would look for her. She'd be gone five hours and her clothing torn, hair disheveled, a wild look in her eye that said she was alone for too long, and in reality, she would only be ten feet from seeing the perimeter. Kagome was highly aware she was geographically challenged. All trees looked the same. They were trees. She was a landmark orientated girl. She loved the feudal era, but she was a city girl. More specifically, she was a modern girl.

Kagome chose a spot under a tree and watched lazily as the sun reached its peak and slowly started its descent back down. She wasn't in the least bit hungry but knew she should eat something eventually, and eventually she would, but she had no desire to go back. She couldn't remember the last time she had a relaxing day for herself. No school, no jewel, no demons, no harassment, no boys, no noise, no nothing. She soaked up the memory, locking it away so she could remember this feeling when life became overwhelming once more. Sadly, it would be too soon into her future.

Kagome paused for a moment; and took notice of her surroundings. The wind was blowing towards her, telling her she was downwind of what she was smelling. It was a fire. Someone or something was nearby. She was still close enough to the compound that she could barely make out the "marker" she used as a landmark.

She stopped and listened. She could hear the crackle of a fire. She made her way closer, hyper vigilant of her surroundings. She bit back her gasp. She was witnessing a real life troll! How had one managed to come to Japan? They were a European creature. She gazed with horrid fascination at the creature. Its skin was a sickly green. Lighter than Jaken's more earthy tone.

Its nose was the most prominent feature on his face. It was large, round and red. It reminded her of Rudolph, just not as pleasant. His fingers were stubby and easily the size of her wrist. The troll swayed back and forth as it paced back and forth. Kagome was frozen. She was in awe. This was a mythological creature standing before her. And at the same time, she was terrified. This was a troll!

Once the shock wore off, she noticed why it was there. The troll held a fairy prisoner in a bird-like cage. The small fairy was begging and pleading for its life, or that's the impression Kagome got. The language spoken was one that Kagome could not place. Some words seemed like English yet it wasn't. If the situation wasn't so dire, Kagome would have sat and studied the language and learn the root words without being seen.

She broke out of her thoughts when the troll picked up the cage and placed it over the open flames. Kagome watched as a panicked fairy fluttered about, trying to find a fruitless way out of its imprisonment.

Kagome had reacted before her brain caught up to her movements. She was racing full force to the open fire, and grabbed the fairy prison and tossed it from the fire. The iron metal of the cage kissed her skin with a sizzle.

Enraged the troll turned around picked up his club and started to swing it around. Kagome ducked and evaded as best as she could. Again, she went outside the comforts of safety with no bow and no arrows. She had no weapons to defend herself. The only thing she could do was duck and roll.

The troll staggered as Kagome zig-zagged. She continued her acrobats, randomly flailing about trying to survive, trying to come up with a plan. She quickly tired, but so did the troll. Kagome's plan was profoundly flawed; so much so Inuyasha would have been proud. Kagome put her plan into action, she stood and panted in short breaths, filling her lungs with much-needed air. The troll took aim to squish Kagome like a bug. He lifted his club and went to strike, and at the last moment, tried to change direction to hit Kagome. He staggered and fell into the blazing fire.

The fire licked at the troll and quickly, he was consumed. He screamed in agony and outrage as the flames overcame it.

Kagome stood panting for a long while after the forest was silent, her knees giving up and she crumpled to the ground. Her hands were shaking. A faint squeak drew Kagome's attention to the fairy still in its cage.

She walked over to it, and the fearful little creature shook.

"It's okay little one," Kagome told it in Japanese. It didn't help; the fairy still continued to shiver. She switched over to English. It was the closest language she knew.

The fairy stopped shaking and started to speak quickly. Kagome only caught every third or fourth word. She opened the door to the cage, and the fairy tried to fly out, but its wing was broken during the rescue. Disheartened, Kagome picked her up and explained that she was going to take her back and fix her up.

Kagome wasn't sure if the fairy understood, but it was no longer shaking. Kagome only got turned about twice but made it back to her little hut by nightfall. Shippo was excited to see her and worried that she hadn't been around, but seeing the damaged creature, he kept quiet and watched the new creature with fascination.

She was soon joined by Lupercus; he too was fascinated by why a creature this far away from home would be here. Kagome explained to him about the troll, and he set off to make sure the monster of legend was dead since they had a reputation to regenerate themselves.

It didn't take long for the priestess to bandage the wing. During that time, Shippo had been an excellent helper and went to get Inuyasha. Kagome had scribbled a short letter to her mom, asking to send some fresh milk, honey, and honey cakes they used to feed the deer.

The fairy was eating an orange slice when Inuyasha came in with the small tote bag. The glass of the bottle clanged on the floor as he set the bag down.

"Don't know why your mom was so excited about this. I never saw her move so fast." Inuyasha said as he made his way to the cage where the fairy was sitting. "What's so special about this pipsqueak?"

Kagome couldn't contain her excitement. "It's a fairy, Inuyasha! A Fairy! They come from England and are said not to exist anymore. This is a childhood dream! No one thinks they are real."

Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms. "Demons aren't supposed to exist either, and you were never this excited."

"Demons aren't fairies, Inuyasha," Kagome explained as if that statement made everything completely clear and the obvious answer.

Kagome went about preparing milk and honey for the fairy who looked on with interest. "You must be hungry for something familiar," Kagome said to it. She offered the fairy the milk and honey, and it quickly devoured it. It had its fill, which to the fairy was a lot, but to Kagome, it was nothing more than a 1/8th of a cup.

Kagome had forgotten about the world surrounding her. She had talked or chatted with the creature as much as she could. She was very sorry; her English enunciation wasn't better. Their communications were slow, but both beings were patient. Kagome had learned that its name was Raisie. It was both male and female, so when it found the love of its life, they could change their sex to be whichever they chose. Kagome thought that was a fantastic idea.

The fairy slept in the cage with the door taken off, thanks to Inuyasha's strength. The makeshift bed for Raisie was comfortable enough.

When dawn came the next day, Kagome's stomach woke her up. She had forgotten to eat much the day before. She quietly sat up, not disturbing the sleeping fairy or Shippo. She changed her clothes and went to the dining hall to see what they were serving for breakfast.

She was one of the few early eaters. Having the quiet respite was nice. Kagome watched as advisors scurried about. She wondered what was in store for today. She knew better than to expect two days off in a row. She continued to watch as a fourth and fifth advisor scurried the same way as the advisors before.

She was now officially curious. She followed the advisors to a sectioned off study. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she could listen to the frustration from both sides. Kagome slid open the shoji door just enough to allow sound to travel unmuffled and give herself an unobstructed view of what was happening.

She couldn't believe her eyes! Before Sesshomaru and his advisors was a Four-foot tall fairy, along with smaller male fairies who were obviously guards; their spears and swords were the obvious indicators. Kagome watched in fascination as demon and fairy communicated with each other with no result. The language barrier was massive.

Kagome managed to listen long enough to hear that the four-foot tall fairy was none other than the Queen herself, Titania. She could hardly contain her excitement. At that moment, Kagome wished she had packed her camera. She brought everything else, but sadly not the one thing to immortalize this very moment.

The room suddenly became hostile. The guards had their weapons drawn. Sesshomaru's advisors had their hackles raised. Kagome decided she needed to intervene. She wasn't sure what good she could do, but she needed to try. The moment she stepped into the room, the advisors started to yell and bicker between each other. The fairy guards had their weapons pointed at her, while most of the advisors didn't even notice she walked into the room.

"Queen Titania, it is a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty," Kagome stumbled on her curtsy. "What brings you this far east?" She hoped the fairy Queen was just as tolerable to her slow English skills.

"You sound odd. But you I can understand." The Queen's butterfly wings fluttered as she circled the priestess. "Why didn't these foolish demons," she motioned to the bickering advisors, "Bring you to me yesterday when I arrived? Why would they continue to frustrate me as they do?" Titania motioned her guards to lower their weapons. The Queen's wings opened more as a show of posturing.

"I do apologize for these demons. They only see me as female and human. Therefore, I have no useful skills." Kagome hoped Titania would understand. All the tales told about the fairy Queen was that Titania was a strong woman with a sharp mind and even stronger will.

Titania nodded as if she understood. The fairy started to talk so fast that Kagome was suddenly lost in the story. The only real thing she presumed was that someone was kidnapped and she would unleash havoc if they weren't returned. Luckily for everyone there, Kagome was smart enough to put two and two together. They were here for Raisie. Kagome smiled and clapped her hands in excitement.

Kagome was about to open her mouth and explain everything, but one of the advisors grabbed her by the arm and started to usher her out. "It is no place for you, mortal. Lord Sesshomaru does not need to be contaminated by your filth any longer."

"What are they doing?" The Queen demanded.

Kagome shrugged as she was being led out of the room. "Like I said, I'm human. Therefore I'm of no use. Again, I'm human, so they view me as less."

Titania snarled and said an incantation so fast Kagome had no idea what just happened. One minute she was being escorted out, and the next minute the entire room was frozen. It wasn't literally frozen, but everyone, including Sesshomaru, was rooted to their spot. They couldn't move nor speak. Kagome wiggled her way out of the claws of the advisor.

Titania looked on fascinated as Kagome moved her way into the room and poked an advisor and tapped another. It seemed like time had stopped in the room. The only signs of life were the expressive and furious eyes staring at her.

"How are you not frozen?" Titania asked fascinated.

Kagome shrugged, unsure. "Can you unfreeze them?" Kagome circled Sesshomaru, strands of his hair were sticking up, they were frozen in mid-air. She wanted to smooth out the look but enjoyed the minor imperfections. She was so close to him, and he could do nothing but stare. His eyes were cold and threatened murder, but behind that, there was something else, something she couldn't put her finger on. She could have continued to stare until she got it, but even Kagome knew she was pushing the personal space boundary.

"I can. I will. Once I get the answers I seek."

"Ask your question, and I can try to help." Kagome turned and faced the Queen. Titiana flicked her bright red hair and used a delicate finger to tuck a lock behind her ear. The Queen repeated her quest and asked for aid. Kagome stopped nodded, and translated back into Japanese. Kagome watched as Sesshomaru's eyes changed from Defcon 1 to Defcon 3.

"You know they don't appreciate being frozen." Kagome turned back to the fairy Queen.

Titania scoffed. "Useless men. They always think their brain is in their balls. If they actually used their head, they would see an asset when one was present."

Kagome laughed and translated what the Queen said verbatim. Kagome asked the question to humor the demons in the room. "What would you do if they refused to help? And what would they get in return for helping you?"

"No one refuses to help. Ever." She smoothed out her olive green, crushed velvet dress and stood a little straighter. "And I will reward those with whatever I can."

"Can I touch a unicorn?" Kagome asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Those assholes. If that is your desire, but only after I retrieve what is mine. And only if you helped." Titania pointed her finger and shook it as she talked. Kagome watched as fairy dust danced off her skin.

Kagome clapped her hands in excitement. "Then let's not waste another moment. I'm assuming you came all this way looking for Raisie?"

"How did…?" Her voice trailed off. The Queen's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Yesterday, I came across a troll who was making Raisie its lunch. I saved it and killed the troll. I bandaged up the wing and gave it some food. Raisie might be awake now; you are more than welcomed to come and see." Kagome ignored the suspicious looks and the death glares.

The Queen agreed. Kagome stopped and pointed to the still frozen advisors. With a wave of her hand, they all started to move. It was odd; it was like someone just hit the play button after being on pause for a really long time.

Everyone soon followed Kagome back to her home. Shippo was busy having a conversation with the fairy or rather trying to. They were both eating orange slices and laughing over something Kagome had missed.

The fairies were reunited in a terribly sappy moment. Kagome needed to wipe up a stray tear.

"I am a woman of my word. You wanted to see the unicorns; I will send you. Take my warning: If you mean them any harm, they will kill you. Any impurities on your soul and they will kill you. They are malicious assholes, and I personally can't wait until they are all dead." Titania fluttered several feet off the ground and chanted an old incantation to open the gates between worlds.

The doorway to their world looked like a purple and blue swirling vortex. It slowly morphed and expanded into clarity. Kagome could see a vast flower garden filled with yellow flowers and a bubbling stream off to the left. It looked like paradise. The Queen nodded her head to go in, and Kagome didn't wait.

She wasn't sure what she was getting into, but she didn't care if it meant she could be the first person to touch a unicorn. The other side felt lighter, like if she jumped, then she would never connect with the ground. She wasn't about to try out. She walked along the nature trail.

The smell was pure, just as she imagined it. The trees, the flowers, the grass, even the heat of the sun smelled. The world was magical and tangible. It was a dream come true.

Kagome sat under a giant rowan tree and waited. The anticipation was killing her. She wanted to scream and cry out for the unicorn to make its appearance, but considering she would be the only person in modern history to see one; she would bite her tongue and wait.

Her patience was soon rewarded. A snowy white horse walked toward the river to drink. Its horn shimmered, drawing Kagome's gaze to the mother of pearl color. The priestess' breath caught as it rose its head to stare at her. She remembered to breathe after it had crossed the river and was making its way over to her.

They stared at each other for a long moment. The unicorn seemed to look into her very soul. She slowly raised her hand and brushed her hand along the soft nose. It was silkier than she imagined. She had lived out her fantasy.

The unicorn ruined the serenity of the scene the moment it tried to stab Kagome in the chest with its horn. "What the hell?" Her brows furrowed in disbelief as she threw her body out of the way. The unicorn shook its head with immense pleasure as it took her spot under the tree.

Kagome stared in disbelief; her fantasy was utterly shattered. "Queen Titania was correct; you are an ass." She smoothed out her dress, gave a final huff of disgust and went back into the portal. Unicorns were so overrated!


	9. Part IX

A/N: I am not a medical doctor, nor do I work in a medical facility. I understand part of this chapter will have some of you scratching your head going, that's not right. That's not how you do it. But for the simplicity of the story, being of demon blood saves the day and this chapter. Also, a big thank you to my bestest friend _**Erinn**_ for editing my story. She found like 160,000 errors or something crazy like that (according to google drive) lol just kidding, but it probably seemed that bad.

* * *

Everyone was woken up at the crack of dawn and escorted into Sesshomaru and his advisor's workstation. She couldn't call it an office. Sesshomaru had a little table to work at and piles of scrolls all around it. Advisors had their own low tables and even more scrolls. It was chaos. How could anyone find anything? Where was the organization? No wonder everyone was so crabby! No one could work. Kagome would have gone crazy trying to do her homework in here.

The room itself was massive. There were no shelves. Everything was piled up on the floors, and Kagome wasn't sure if there was a mat because the floors were almost entirely covered. The one window barely gave enough light, and Kagome didn't notice any lamps. Why were they there? She hoped she didn't have to work here. If she were stuck in this room, she would probably quit. It was that bad.

"Ladies," The advisor called out, "You have all been asked to come here for one great purpose. This room has zero organization. Each advisor knows where his scrolls are and what's contained within, but we need a cohesive system, simple enough we can all utilize."

The candidates all groaned. Kagome's mind was already whirling with possibilities.

"We don't have to build anything, do we?"

"I hope we don't have to touch those icky scrolls."

"Why would I want to be here?"

"Why can't you just do it yourself?"

"Get the human to do it…"

Sesshomaru walked into the room and silenced everyone with a cold stare.

The advisor continued, "You will have until sundown to create a concept our builders can manufacture and implement."

Kagome opened her cloth bag and took out a scribbler and her pencil. She made a rough outline of the room's dimensions. She scribbled a design of a bookshelf against the long main wall, filling up the entire space. There were no windows, no lighting to work around. That was an easy part. The shelves were 3x3 squares to hold the scrolls. Books hadn't made their way to Japan yet, so there was no need of actual shelving.

The bottom of the shelf was two feet off the ground so the bottom scrolls wouldn't have water damage. The top of the shelving reached the ceiling. The other side would have their workstations with the length of the wall filled with lamps and torches so they could still read and continue their work at dusk. On top of their respective table would have a simple tray that would hold five scrolls, so nothing would have to touch the floor.

She wrote on the side margins on how to organize the library; subject matter: year, advisor, and territory. Kagome figured it was the most practical and easiest to adapt to, and they could modify as they went. She wasn't sure how a demon legacy kept their files. She organized her personal books by color. It aesthetically pleased her that way.

Kagome briefly looked up from her notebook and noticed the other candidates were bickering at each other and with the advisors because they couldn't use a proxy for this challenge. Kagome shrugged and flipped the page to design the structure of the scroll case. If it weren't built right, there would be a structural issue. The middle would sag under the pressure of parchment over time. One scroll was light, but a hundred scrolls weighed a fair amount.

The main support beams would be of thicker dimensions and needed to make sure that every third shelf was a thicker size to support the weight over time and not collapse. Kagome was sure she was using some math to design this, but she didn't need the formula to tell her what was obvious. If you protect the structure and the foundation, then it would be built sturdy and to last.

That was the point, right?

Kagome had just finished her crude design. She had until tonight to draw it, so it was readable and made sense.

"Now, take a seat at one of the areas to begin your task. You will not be allowed to leave until it is complete. If you fail to complete the task, you will have failed Sesshomaru." The advisor leered at Kagome, making her feel very uncomfortable. She knew this was a challenge to make her fail. Every challenge was designed to do so. She was well aware of that.

Architecture in feudal Japan was minimal compared to what she had seen in her short life, the most people had seen were pagodas and temples. While they were beautiful in their right, they were nothing compared to the modern era of glass and steel.

Kagome had access to the entire world back home. There was the St. Paul's Cathedral in London which would need another 200 years to be built, the Leaning Tower of Piza, which only Lupercus had seen, and even St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was a beautiful structure. To her, it looked more like a Disney palace, bright and colorful, than a cathedral.

She never needed to leave her house to see the world. Between the internet, the national geographic, and television, she could be an armchair traveler for the rest of her life and vicariously live her life through others. It would be boring, but she could do it.

The advisor came by and gave her a blank scroll and an inkwell. She took the scroll and ignored the ink for her pen. She could use the inkwell, but it took time and practice, and she half suspected they gave her a broken quill.

She transferred over her design, making it as legible as she could. She used arrows and text to explain the concept and described her faceted classification style for organizing the scrolls once the shelving was completed.

She quickly wrote, 'I would suggest incorporating a numerical system into the faceted classification to help organize once the collection became even more expansive, but I wasn't sure the advisors could keep up with my idea, so I used the KISS idea. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.' She knew she was poking the hornet's nest, but they were seriously trying her patience!

Kagome went to the window and saw the sun was just coming over the horizon. If she hurried, she still might be able to have breakfast. She called the advisor over and handed him the scroll. The advisors and Sesshomaru opened the scroll and viewed her work. Sesshomaru barely raised an eyebrow at her explanation, but his cheek did a facial twitch as he read her comments.

She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She assumed on the side of 'good' because he wasn't snarling at her blatant disrespect.

"Girl, we should get you to organize all these scrolls. Then you could show us just how brilliant you are." The advisor challenged Kagome.

Kagome smiled and looked into the beady eyes of the pigeon demon and smiled. It wasn't a pretty smile. "I could, but you see, my human eyesight isn't that good, and I would probably burn the scrolls I couldn't read to make it easier for me to organize. I don't know, is all your penmanship legible?"

"You wouldn't dare?!" The advisor gasped, horrified.

"Try me," Kagome said, her expression deadpan.

The advisor started to shake. She had hit a nerve. The feathers on his neck began to flare, and he started to growl. She wasn't sure the meaning of what the bird was doing, but she was sure she was supposed to be standing down. That wasn't happening. She placed her hands on her hips and gave her 'famous' disapproving stare.

The pigeon almost lost it. Sesshomaru stepped in and intervened. "Enough. You will do the organizing. And you," he addressed Kagome, "leave."

Kagome found that was more than acceptable. She left the room without looking back. She wondered how much breakfast she could get before Inuyasha and Shippo ate her fair share.

* * *

Lunch finished with little excitement. She was finishing her cup of tea, sitting beside Lupercus overseeing Shippo and Hiroaki playing a game of go. The deaf demon seemingly relaxed with the other demons around. _Time_ , she reminded herself.

Kagome felt uneasy; there was an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was usually a sign of a powerful demon approaching. This demon held no shards, but the power coming from the east made Kagome sit up and take notice. This power was coming straight for them. She nervously glanced at the other demons. Hiroaki seemed to be unfazed, but the other two were on edge.

It wasn't long before the demon was upon them, the presence seemingly burst into the open space. A regal demon resembling Sesshomaru landed in the middle of the courtyard. Kagome was momentarily stunned as she took in the scene before her. The amount of this demon's power took her breath away.

While Kagome stood shellshocked, the newly arrived demon was barking orders to servants who were in her immediate vicinity.

Hiroaki signed 'grandmother' then went to go and pay his respect.

Kagome's brain finally processed all the red she was seeing, it was a terrible sight. Kagome wanted to make sense of the gore before her, but there was too much. She needed to focus on the demon bleeding freely on the grass. If nothing happened soon, he would bleed to death.

"Shippo, grab all my medical supplies." The fox ran off. There was no need to say it, but it was implied, _hurry_.

Shippo found Kagome in a room that smelt like death. He handed her the medical kit and ran off, his poor nose couldn't handle the smell. Kagome was happy the fox left. He didn't need to see what was before her.

Low tables were stacked on top of each other in a makeshift platform. It was easier to work. They got set right away. Kagome made them all wash their hands. She barked the order, not having no as an answer. She kicked one spider demon out of the room for not listening. She went an extra step and put on a pair of transparent gloves. Kagome removed her scissors quickly disinfecting them and started to cut away the cloth, exposing the wounds.

"It needs to be cut off," Itachi-sensei told the semi-conscious patient.

The dog demon on the table howled and started to thrash. "I'll be no use to Lord Sesshomaru and the Western Lands if my leg is removed. What good is a spy that can't move with stealth?"

Kagome looked over the wound. If he wanted it saved, she would try. She grabbed a cloth and directed a demon to apply pressure to the wound. She felt a pulse in the foot. It thumped weakly against her hand. The open wound continued to bleed through the cloth. She gathered nearby supplies and made a tourniquet to stop the blood flow. It was risky, but if the demon wanted his leg saved, this was his best shot.

The tourniquet would give her two solid hours to work and repair the damage with a window of up to 8 hours. Heaven help her if she needed more than that! She wasn't a medical doctor. She had experience dealing with battle injuries, but this was the worst. She was thankful for all her personal notebooks. She managed to get decent marks in biology, but this wasn't something high school could prepare her for.

The dog's thigh was a mess. A small voice in the back of her mind wondered if she could do it. She quickly squashed the voice and threw herself into the work needed. She was always one to help where she could. She would give the demon the best of her abilities.

She grabbed heavy set fabric and wrapped it against his torso. Shifting the demon was not possible, so Itachi-sensei and one of his pupils lifted the torso so Kagome could properly wrap it. She couldn't cut off blood to the femoral artery, so her tourniquet had to go higher up.

She read about how to do one but never put into practice before. After, she applied the rope and tied the tourniquet using an overhand knot. She messed up the knot twice; her nerves shot and her hands shaking. Kagome placed a thick stick on top of the overhand knot and tied an additional knot, then another and a few more to secure it in place. She twisted it clockwise until she saw the bleeding stop and then secured the tourniquet by tucking the fabric ends into the cloth before going to work.

The demons started to praise and stare at the modern 'miracle' but Kagome knew this was the race. She checked the pulse at the base of the demon's foot. She was good to go.

With the lack of blood, she could see his thigh muscles were shredded. His femoral artery was sliced, and his femur bone had a clean break. Artery, then bone, then muscle; Kagome had a plan of action. She ignored the sweat dripping down the back of her neck because she had work to do.

Itachi-sensei and the demons watched as she barked orders. The spider demon that was sent away was recalled. The spider demon would spin thread she would use to stitch the artery closed. She sent someone to fetch Sasori. The scorpion demon's venom would act as a sealant to the wounds.

Within minutes, Kagome had sealed the artery. It was a total mess. But it seemed to hold up. If this was done on a human, they would have died already. Luckily, the dog demon was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep his leg. She watched her patient, and his skin was clammy. It was to be expected, but she needed him calm so she could avoid shock as long as possible. She didn't like the color of his lips. They were slowly losing its color.

Itachi-sensei was giving the dog demon a play-by-play of what Kagome was doing to him. The doctor's wonder and excitement was enough to keep the dog and on-lookers interested.

"This is going to hurt," Kagome warned. A thin sheet of sweat was rubbed off Kagome's forehead. She groaned as she could feel a blood smear on her forehead. Itachi-sensei became Kagome's aide. He wiped her forehead and barked at one of his assistants to get a bite. Setting bones was never fun. The dog demon bit down on the bite, screaming through it, as Itachi-sensei used his superior strength to set the bone.

The spider demon spun a rod-like device out of its web. It was nothing like the surgical plates and screws of the future, but it would have to do. She hoped it would hold up long enough to give the demon's natural healing ability to catch up. She wasn't sure what spider demon's webbing did to other demons, but Kagome vaguely remembered reading an article about spider's silk being used as sutures and other medical hypotheticals. She hoped her idea wouldn't backfire. But if there was any a time to test her theory, now would be it.

The dog demon screamed again, his pain echoing the halls. Kagome swore. He'd gone into shock with his lips turning blue, his skin turning a deadly shade of white. Working fast, Kagome sent Sasori to talk to the dog. She used her newfound powers to keep him lured to her voice. Kagome ordered someone to pile blankets on top of the demon's core and good leg.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as the dog listened to Sasori and Kagome continued to work. The rod was fused to his bone with Sasori's poison. She could see the demon's own body start to heal and repair the fibers of the bone slowly. Still, it was at a breakneck speed compared to Kagome's mortal rate.

Kagome rolled her shoulders. She was unaware of how much time had passed. She didn't want to know. If she knew she would try to speed up and she might make a mistake along the way. Her body cried for a break, but she ignored it and continued to work. She was almost done. Sasori had trapped the dog demon's mind and was keeping him in a state of conscious bliss.

Using the remaining spider silk thread, she loosely attached the muscles together. His thigh was missing half of the muscle needed to stitch it back nicely. She suspected it would regenerate, like Inuyasha's battle wounds had done before. The muscles were sticking all over the place. At least this way, when it healed, it would be healing properly.

Itachi-sensei saw Kagome was looking for a makeshift covering for the skin. He placed a brown piece of parchment-like substance on top of the wound sealing it.

Kagome released the tourniquet and blood rushed through the leg, causing Sasori's hold on the dog to break. He screamed in agony. Sasori tried to gain his attention again, but it was to no avail.

Some of the demons were leaving. The action was over, and the demon would live.

Kagome made all of them wash their hands. She explained to them about the bacteria on their hands, and if they went to treat any other patients, they ran the risk of killing them. The room stopped, and suddenly a hushed whisper moved about the room. Kagome couldn't make out what was being said. But she did catch, 'it makes sense now,' and 'poor Mina.'

Whatever the story, Kagome was too tired to enquire. Her mind and body were in dire need of somewhere to sit and a cup of tea. She could take a nice long bath later, once everything was finished and she could enjoy the soak, not having her mind wander to the what-ifs.

Itachi-sensei's attendants cleaned up the surgical room and carefully moved the patient to a low-lying futon to rest and relax. Itachi-sensei had slipped the dog demon a powerful sedative putting him to sleep. His chest was rising and falling to a perfect rhythm.

Between the two of them, they made a formidable pair. Kagome found herself relaxing in the doctor's space, drinking a cup of tea, and discussing the purpose of a tourniquet and how it was a lifesaving tool for both humans and demons.

The sun had long set, but Kagome was so comfortable against a few overstuffed pillows, she couldn't find a reason to get up. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she had to pee, but not bad enough to get up and move.

Next thing Kagome knew was the doctor was gently shaking her awake. She bolted upright and looked around. She was disorientated. Where was she? When did she fall asleep? How long?

"A few moments only I'm afraid." Kagome didn't realize she had spoken out loud. The doctor looked at her. "You kept muttering 24 hours is the most critical."

Kagome nodded and stretched. She was tired still, but the overlay of initial fog had been lifted. She was thinking much more clearly; a nap was just what she needed. The priestess took the time to explain why the next few hours were the most critical. Itachi-sensei set a rotation of his students to change the dressing and to alert the priestess right away if there was a change in color, or if anything seemed 'off' no matter how minute it could be.

After seeing her work on the operating table, they respected the human girl a little more and would abide by her wishes.

* * *

Kagome awoke to hushed tones outside the dog demon's room. Kagome had chosen to spend the night nearby in case she was needed. She quickly looked over the sleeping dog demon. She checked his vitals and could feel the strong demonic pulse beat under his skin. She quietly changed the bandages, and it still brought her wonder how fast they healed. The new skin was already forming over the muscle and tissue. There were no signs of infection or complications from her surgery. It looked like the dog demon would make a full recovery.

"What do you mean you didn't fix him? If you didn't, who did?" The female voice on the other side of the shoji door was heard clearly.

"The young priestess, Lady Kagome. She is quite a marvel really. The tools and methods she uses are so far advanced that I'm taking lessons from her."

Kagome couldn't hear the muffled question but decided if they were going to talk about her, she might as well be present for their conversation.

"Good morning," Kagome smiled as she slid open the shoji door just enough to let herself slip through, and she closed it behind her.

"You." Kagome looked up and saw the female voice was that of Sesshomaru's mother.

"Kagome," she said automatically, correcting her.

"Yes. Kagome." She drew out her name, giving the female a once over with her critical eyes. "Tell me, how did you know how to heal him?" Sesshomaru's mother was all business.

Kagome shrugged, "I went by what I was taught. Some I learned, some was a theory, but it was mostly teamwork. If it weren't for Itachi-sensei and everyone else, Sesshomaru's spy would be dead." Kagome smiled kindly to the blushing doctor. It was true; this was a joint effort by everyone standing in that room.

"Why hasn't my son picked you as his mate? What's the holdup?" She huffed in frustration. "I've never had one of these last this long. I mean, you are human, but that's a minor detail." Sesshomaru's mother kept talking, but Kagome's brain shut off and she watched as Sesshomaru's mother's lips continued to moved, but no sound came out.

She mentally counted to ten, then counted down from ten. She was trying to cool her rage. "Sesshomaru is an ass." Kagome almost exploded. "This thing that we're doing is bogus. Sesshomaru has an heir. Hiroaki is capable of performing his duties. Who cares that he's deaf?! There's no reason for any of this. And you know what," Kagome half paused and looked at the momentarily stunned dog demon. "I don't care if Hiroaki is still scared of me. The kid knows I'm not going to purify him. I need to make sure he knows that." With a curt nod of finality, Kagome left both demons and went to go find the demon child and make things right.

Sesshomaru's mother watched the human child walk out with a purpose. She would find out what was happening, after all, she was still Lady of the Western Lands.


	10. Part X

A/N: Sorry about the late update. Huge thanks to Erinn, who has edited this chapter and the next. And to every reviewer and reader of this story, thanks for reading. I appreciate all the reviews. Now on to the story!

* * *

Kagome was bound and determined to get this done and over with. There was no need for fear anymore. She stormed the compound looking for the deaf demon and his Roman companion.

"Lupercus?!" Kagome called out, hoping the hearing demon would respond.

She found the pair sitting in a makeshift classroom. Teacher and student were learning about demon history and lineage. Kagome plopped down beside Lupercus and wasn't ladylike about the ordeal.

"We need to talk." Kagome signed.

"Busy. Lesson." Hiroaki signed back.

Kagome growled. "No. Now." Her signs were commanding and firm.

Both demons looked at Kagome with eyes wide. She was mad and deadly serious. "Lupercus, can you please sign for me?" She asked the demon beside her.

He nodded and explained to Hiroaki that he would be interpreting for Kagome. Kagome took a deep breath and laid her heart on the table for the deaf boy.

"You are my friend, and I hurt you unintentionally. For this, I am truly sorry. I want to make things right between us before I get eaten up inside. You are special to me, just as Shippo is special to me. I know you are scared, and I know you are feeling a bunch of emotions. No matter what you think of me, no matter how scared of me you are, know that I can never hurt you. I would never hurt you. I hope one day you can forgive me." Kagome's voice wavered as tears threatened to spill. She took a deep breath and tried to wait until she was out of the room before bursting into tears. The demons could still smell it, but part of her pride would still be intact.

She got up from her seat and thanked Lupercus. She barely made it to the shoji screen when a pair of hands hugged her from behind. Kagome stopped and turned and returned the hug Hiroaki was giving. Kagome couldn't hide her tears; they wouldn't stop. Soon the demon child was shedding his own set of therapeutic tears.

Kagome loved this moment. Their barriers were down. They were both forgiven. Kagome felt a burden lessen from her heart. The world would be a much better place if an act of compassion and forgiveness could move mountains.

She sniffled and wiped her cheeks roughly with her sleeves. Hiroaki was no better and did the same. Lupercus' heart melted. He would have joined in but he noticed a matriarchal mother lurking just beyond the shadows.

Lupercus was asked to come east, to the land of the rising sun, to teach a special child. He did not know the significance of the child, but she had asked. She was a celestial being, she had been around long before he was even born. It was a polite request that wasn't turned down.

At that moment, his loyalties were divided. He was loyal to the Lady Mother, but the silly human girl had wormed her way past his defenses. Lupercus took the stance of an observant bystander. He watched silently as the celestial dog demon witnessed the touching moment before smiling, nodding her head, and leaving them to peace. What was the old dog planning?

* * *

The next morning Kagome found herself lying in bed enjoying the moment. She had nowhere pressing she needed to be. This rare moment of nothingness allowed Kagome to daydream of secret, unrealistic heart desires.

She imagined herself waking up surrounded by her children all snuggled in a dog pile. It was not practical, but she always wanted a large family and having them all cuddle. She knew she was delusional, but that was the point of a secret dream. Kagome's fantasy crashed from her as a noise from outside drew her back to reality.

Shippo sat up beside her and rubbed away the last traces of sleep. Kagome groaned and slipped out of the warm bed.

She dressed in her familiar school uniform and made her way to the kitchens for some breakfast. The sun was barely rising, the night still clinging to the sky. Kagome had a sinking sensation that this was going to be a long day.

She wasn't the only one still half asleep in the dining hall. It seemed half the compound was trying to find an empty space to grab some food. Shippo managed to snag a couple seats, flagging her over. Never before had she seen so many children all gathered around in one spot; it was such an overwhelming feeling, and her heart felt full.

She could imagine herself surrounded by this many children and still wanting more. She would read them stories, take them to the fields and unleash them upon the flowers, have naps under the glistening sun, bake them cookies, teach them about everything and nothing, love them, kiss their boo-boos, and make them laugh. Kagome was poked back into reality by Shippo's boney finger. He pointed to the breakfast in front of her.

She nodded her thanks and started to eat while noticing he was almost half done. The children's screams were starting to wear on their guardians, but to Kagome, it was the sound of heaven. This was also probably why she had the patience of a saint. Inuyasha's constant bickering and complaining about shards was her test for future motherhood.

Kagome quietly finished her breakfast and just put her chopsticks down when an advisor told her to follow him. Kagome gave Shippo a glance of confusion and got up and made her way out of the room.

Kagome was lead silently to the nursery. There was something about the smell of newborn babes that made her maternal instincts take over. A baby, or rather a demon baby of some canine decent started to cry. The advisor left her and Kagome stood surrounded by small little ones. She waited a moment looking around before she reached over and picked up the crying child and held it to her. She softly swayed with the baby, humming a tune to an old lullaby. The baby soon quieted and fell back asleep. Kagome kissed the crown of his head and rested her cheek on the baby's head. She didn't want to put it down. She wanted a few more seconds to hold the sleeping bundle a little while longer.

Sesshomaru and his Mother stepped into the room and glanced over to the slightly oblivious priestess who was too busy to notice their entrance. She registered them but paid them no mind when they said nothing but stared at her. Kagome was fine with it because it meant a few more minutes to hold the baby in her arms as she swayed and hummed an old lullaby.

The baby was back asleep and Kagome could put it down and leave, but part of her wished she could stay like this forever. She never noticed the wet nurse come in nor the exchange between her and Sesshomaru's mother.

"Miss, I will take the baby now."

Kagome opened her eyes and sighed as she handed the baby back over. "Such a beautiful baby," Kagome whispered.

"Aye, but he is a handful. Cries all the time. It tries the patience of the mother and the wet nurse. Doctors say nothing is wrong, but the child cries constantly." The fox demon sighed as she looked up his slumbering face.

"Sounds like he has colic. Sadly there is nothing you can do. After you feed him, make sure the gas has been released, and if that doesn't help, give him a light massage on his stomach to help with internal gas and discomfort. Is he allergic to mint?" Kagome turned and looked at the wet nurse who shook her head. "Then a few sips of mint tea might help. Other than that, only time will cure his colic."

The wet nurse was relieved that the crying would eventually stop that she hugged Kagome quickly before walking to the other side of the room and grabbing supplies she needed. Kagome smiled and looked at the two demons. When they said nothing but stood in the now silent nursery, Kagome left.

* * *

Kagome was awoken abruptly in wee hours of the morning by almost all the children crammed into her tiny sleeping quarters. Kagome jumped with a start. Something had to be wrong if all the children were here.

"We're hungry, and we want to go on a picnic today." One of the younger dog demons told Kagome.

"Well then, I guess we should be quiet, since everyone is still sleeping, and make ourselves breakfast then pack a picnic." She told the excited children who covered their mouths to contain their screams of joy. Kagome yawned and stretched getting out of bed and padding her way barefoot to the kitchen. Kagome's sleeping attire raised more than a few eyebrows but it was close to summer and her vital parts were more than covered. A tank top and shorts, nothing too risque. She tried a yukata, but it was too hot for her, and she got tangled in the fabric.

The cook raised his brow at all the children in his kitchen.

Kagome yawned again and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Sorry, they wanted breakfast, and they want a picnic. We'll only be a little bit; I hope you don't mind?"

The cook blinked a few times then growled at the children to get out of his kitchen. Yes, the children were making a mess, but she would have ensured it was all clean after they were done. "I will not have the children injured in my kitchen. I'll make you all breakfast just get out of here." The cook grumbled and set about working in a demon fury to get breakfast ready for all the children.

The children waited in the eating area unsure of what to do with themselves. Kagome went to pick up a knife to start on the picnic lunch but was stopped by the cook. "You too human. I will have your lunch ready when it's time." The cook grumbled but set about his task. Kagome smiled and thanked him before following the children into the eating area to devise a plan.

While breakfast was cooking and lunch was being made, the children went quietly to their rooms to change out of their sleeping attire. Kagome went to do the same. She gently woke up Shippo who was still sleeping until the mention of a picnic. Kagome pulled out the large blanket they usually used for shelter. It would be perfect for a large picnic blanket.

She packed her yellow bag full of medicinal supplies and books and some crafts in case some of the kids got bored and headed back out. The entire compound was still miraculously asleep. The children returned all dressed and ready for a day outside. The cook brought out trays filled with breakfast food. Kagome helped serve breakfast as the children quietly settled in their spots and patiently waited.

There was no screaming, no fighting, no roughhousing, not even a peep was uttered. The children could have been zombies had it not been for their bouncing energy they all kept in check. They were all probably going to get in trouble leaving the compound to go on a picnic, but Kagome couldn't say no to those faces.

The cook had just packed them more than enough food to last the afternoon. They were on their way out when Lupercus and Hiroaki came and busted them. Kagome managed to wrangle the two demons to come with. Lupercus reminded Kagome she had no weapon for protection, which she was slightly horrified at forgetting. Luckily, the wolf demon returned not too long after with a bow and a quiver of arrows for her and dressed in his battle gear, just in case.

The children were lead by one of the older demon boys who knew the perfect location to have a picnic.

It was a long two-hour hike, with many stops and piggy back rides for the littler ones, but the place was perfect. There was a field of flowers that begged to be picked on their right. On their left was a little creek, perfect enough to take a dip when it got too hot. There were large trees perfect for climbing and for sitting under to get away from the sun's harsh rays.

Kagome quickly set up the buddy system so they could all keep track so no one got lost. Then she shooed the kids off to have fun. Their pent-up excitement was released and they went nuts. Boys ran to the trees and the girls ran into the wildflowers.

Kagome watched as Shippo dragged Hiroaki to do things normal kids would do. At first, the deaf prince was timid and unsure, Kagome came to a very sad realization that Hiroaki had probably never been this far away from home before. If anyone could break him out of his shell, it was Shippo. It wasn't long until Hiroaki was acting just like a kid. It was a beautiful sight.

Lupercus sat beside her on the blanket and watched the children. "You know you'll get into trouble for removing them from the compound."

Kagome didn't look at him when she responded, "Children are not meant to be kept cramped up in a room. They need to be outside, they need to explore. To have the chance to be a kid before this world rips their innocence from them and they are forced to grow up." Kagome drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on it.

Lupercus nodded in agreement. How could a child so young have so much wisdom? He made no sound and the pair sat in silence for a few moments.

Kagome swatted her legs as if to dispel the melancholy. Kagome removed her shoes and socks and made her way to the creak and tested out the water. It was still early and the sun had yet to warm up the chilled water. But come the afternoon it would be perfect. For right now she wanted to make sure there was nothing in the water that could potentially hurt the children.

She didn't feel anything evil, just a few fish that looked like something the kids would like to try to catch. The creek had a deep patch that just dropped off. She would have to keep an eye on that spot. The creek was bigger than it looked. It was more like a stream. Regardless, this would have to be a constantly supervised area.

She made her way back to the blanket and pulled out some of the craft string, which was really fishing line. It made for strong bracelets and it was on sale. Why spend five times the amount on a breakable string when she spent 100 yen on the discount 80-pound fishing line?

She was sure the boys could make a hook out of something. The joys of being with a variety of different demons, someone was bound to have the skill she needed to make it work. But she didn't want to push the fishing just yet. They were still having fun playing monkeys.

The morning passed all too quickly and the children settled down for a light lunch. The fresh air was starting to have its effect on the children. One started to yawn, and then the second, then five minutes later, she had a dog pile of sleeping children on the blanket. Kagome's dream was in front of her and she wasn't about to let it pass without taking up the offer to experience bliss just once.

Kagome lay surrounded by sleeping children and the feeling was amazing. It was hard for her not to keep her eyes open. She was awoken a while later by hushed whispers.

Inuyasha didn't know how to keep quiet when his life depended on it. Kagome growled low in her throat and the sleeping children subconsciously mimicked her. A collective low growl was omitted effectively shutting Inuyasha up. She heard Lupercus laugh but covered it up with a cough.

"How did they get out here without the entire house being woken up by these hellions?" Inuyasha asked.

"It appears the children woke up the girl wanting a picnic." A female voice answered.

Kagome had heard the voice before. It was that of Sesshomaru's mother. Without opening her eyes, she scanned to see who else was there. Demon energy was easy to spot, especially at their caliber: Sesshomaru's mother, Inuyasha, Lupercus, Sesshomaru, and two advisors. Kagome slowly started to snuggle back into her dog pile. If anyone dared to attack with this much power around, it would be suicide.

"So now what?" Inuyasha asked, clueless about what to do now.

"What were you thinking taking the children?" Sesshomaru's advisor demanded, poking Kagome with his walking stick making sure not to touch any of the children in the process.

Kagome glanced over at Lupercus who had his head turned trying to bite his cheek to keep from smirking before sending a heated glare at the advisor. "For your information, I'm simply doing your task as demanded. My task was to entertain the children. I did, I do, and I am. What's your problem?" Kagome demanded, dismissing him.

"That task was appointed long ago," the advisor chided.

Kagome shrugged and stated matter of factly, "You never appointed a winner." Kagome broke away from the warmth of the pile and joined the adults.

The Lady of the West hid her smile. "Child, why hasn't my son chosen you yet? Your hips are wide enough to bear children." She gave the priestess an intense once over.

Kagome's face turned bright red. How was she supposed to answer that?

To Kagome's defense, Lupercus stepped in and voiced his observation, "Lady Mother, if I may?" He waited for her nod of approval before continuing, "Lady Kagome's views and those of our practice are viewed as two different ideologies. She is much like you. She is fiercely protective and independent. She is looking for a partnership rather than a title." He stopped long enough for the Lady of the West to digest what he said before continuing, "She is much like _us_." Kagome understood the last part loud and clear, they were different. Just. Like. Her.

"Then give it to her? I don't see the problem. The child is human, that is no fault of her own." The Lady of the West crossed her arms and looked about like the solution was simple and she was flabbergasted that no one else saw how simple the resolution.

"Lady Mother," Kagome said, switching to Latin as Lupercus had, "the solution is never as simple as it may seem. No one in this game seems to think of this as a partnership, but rather of a god given blessing to receive your son's seed. The winner is nothing more than breeding stock."

The Lady of the West laughed so hard she was wiping a stray tear from her face. "Oh child, that is normal. Someone should have told you, once you accept his seed and give birth to a pup, you slaughter everyone that opposes you and your ideal partnership and start afresh. That's what we did. I was a possession, a conquest of sorts. After I murdered the advisors and war council, I created what I wanted. I gave him what he wanted, and I got the freedom I was looking for."

Kagome shuddered at the thought. She accidentally slipped back to using Japanese. "Sesshomaru wants an heir. He has one. I can't give him what he already has."

Inuyasha looked at her, and she noticed her switch back. Too late now, it was already said and it was nothing she hadn't voiced before.

"But he's deaf. His ears are broken. How is he supposed to rule when he can't listen?" One of the advisors bristled.

The priestess was miffed over the advisor's ignorance. "Of course he can hear; it's just with his hands. We have no problems having a conversation. I'm not the ignorant one unwilling to learn, and I'm just a mortal female of low standing, so what's your excuse?"

Kagome turned her back to the demons and went back to the food supply and grabbed a rice ball from it. She liked to eat when she was mad. It was usually some sort of junk food, but the Feudal Era had no junk food up to her standards, so she ate a rice ball.

Kagome translated what she said to Lupercus who proceeded to laugh so hard he woke the children. The wolf demon signed what was said to Hiroaki because Kagome was shaking too bad in her rage to sign properly.

Inuyasha went to Kagome, trying to calm her down. If her anger could have manifested, the entire forest would be burning and everyone in attendance would have been purified at their feet. "Kagome, the children are starting to worry." Inuyasha pointed to the children looking at her with confused and scared eyes.

Like a light switch, Kagome flipped from angry to compassionate and went to reassure the children nothing was wrong.

She figured now would be a good time to make fishing rods and try to catch the fish in the stream. Explaining the new activity to the children, they all ran into the surrounding forest to find a stick strong enough to catch fish.

Less than an hour later, the entire bunch was spread out trying to catch a fish. Of course, there was a contest to see who could catch the first, then the biggest, then the prettiest. Six fish later, the kids were ready to call it a day. Kagome went back to start packing up and to put back on her shoes, leaving the rest of the adults to attend to the children.

It didn't seem like a daunting task, or a hard one: just watch them. You'd think out of the six adults, one would actually watch the children. It only took one second of not watching them for the accident to happen.

The boys were playing around, and next thing anyone knew, one of the boys had slipped and plunged into the deep drop off. Swimming, at the time, was a rare skill. Everyone stood helpless as the boy sank under the water. Before anyone could react, other than scream, Kagome was already running into the water and dove into it looking for the demon.

She found him slowly sinking to the bottom like a dead weight. She grabbed a hold of him and pushed against the water soaring her way to the surface. She broke through and gasped for air. The demon, however, did not. She used one arm to get to shallow waters so she could carry the boy out.

Inuyasha helped her to the bank where she laid the boy on the grass and checked for a pulse. It was there, but it was faint. Kagome angled the head slightly and leaned down to give the first breath, the chest rose so she knew there was nothing blocking his airways. She immediately started on the chest compressions; in her head, she counted to 30 and stopped. She pinched his nose and covered his mouth with hers and blew.

It took a few tries but soon the boy coughed up all the water from inside his lungs and was breathing on his own. The kids all got out of the water, and without complaints, they packed up everything and made their way back to the compound in silence. Inuyasha carried the boy on his back and walked beside Kagome who was silently raging.

Everyone knew than to speak. One small little task and no one could see it through for a few minutes. The adults walked into the compound with their head hung low in shame. The children silently ran to their nursemaids who returned them to their room. Kagome made sure the demon boy was fine, slightly tired, but overall alive before she stormed off to her small room with Shippo trailing right behind her.

The rest of the night was quiet, but they had made it known that Kagome had passed another one of their tests. Sadly, she was in no mood to celebrate.


	11. Part XI

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all my readers, Erinn (the backbone of this story), and to the fire alarm chirping at a low battery and scaring me half to death. We are on our way to having this story completed in the next few weeks. So with much love, on to the madness! :)

* * *

Kagome sat on the edge of the raised wooden pathway and watched as servants went back and forth with a variety of different things. She was glad she wasn't born into the servant class. They worked way too hard. Today was a day off for the remaining contestants. Apparently, they were trying to find something to make it super challenging for her.

A girl with a little power from the future was no match for a demon lord centuries if not a few millennia old. All the contests were child's play, and sadly she let him know it. She knew better than to taunt, but she couldn't help it once she found out he already had an heir. Now she was being spiteful for Hiroaki.

A soft cough behind her alerted her to the presence of a demon behind her. She tilted her head back and exposed her entire jugular. It wasn't the most proper way to look at a canine demon, but no one here would harm her.

Lupercus gave her a toothy grin and sat next to her. Despite all the differences between them, they shared more in common than anyone thought. Without her, Lupercus would only have Hiroaki to talk to. Unless formal growling counted. No one else understood the language of the silent or Latin. Japan was an isolated country and would be for hundreds of years more. There are some in the present day that would like to see them be isolated again.

"What do you miss most about your home?" Kagome asked him while looking out into the cleanly kept manicured garden.

"Mostly the food. I am a demon; I will see my family again. My country will always stand tall, and there are always new things to experience, but I miss the taste of home. There is only so much rice one man or demon can have without craving a bowl of pasta. Your mind is forgetful; I'm sure you don't remember the taste of perfect pasta." The wolf demon looked longingly out at the early morning sky.

"What would you do if I cooked you an old world dish from your home country?" Kagome asked coming up with an idea.

"I would do anything."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll cook you some real food if you find out what the next challenge is," Kagome bargained.

"How am I supposed to find out when I can't communicate with anyone?" Lupercus asked eyeing the girl with curiosity. How could she create an Italian meal when even he couldn't get the ingredients?

"That's not my task. So do we have a deal or not?" Kagome got up and dusted off her skirt.

The demon nodded his head. He would try.

Kagome smirked and raced to wake up the still sleeping Inuyasha. She needed to go home and get some supplies.

Waking Inuyasha was part of the highlight of her day. It was so very seldom she could wake his ass up for once to get his butt into gear. With the promise of ramen while he waited as she shopped, they were off in a matter of minutes.

Home was one of the fastest trips she had ever encountered. As she made ramen for a hungry half demon, she had a lengthy conversation with her mom about Italian cooking and keeping it authentic. Demons had a knack for knowing when things were fake. Additives and preservatives were not her friends.

After Inuyasha was on his fifth package, she left with a lengthy list and headed out to gather supplies. While she was busy gathering the easy stuff like fresh pasta and herbs, Mama was busy calling around and placing orders for meats and freshly made authentic Italian pasta sauce from scratch.

By mid-afternoon, Kagome was ready to go back armed with naturally preserved vegetables, pasta, meats, oils and herbs soaked in olive oil. There would be enough to last Lupercus a full two years if he ate from the stash once a month. The additional bag she grabbed off the counter, was full of food for tonight's supper. The simple spaghetti Bolognese was for everyone who wanted to try something new. She made sure there was an overabundance of supplies.

The black truffles and antipasto were just for a select few. The truffles were expensive and the antipasto was hard to come by. There was a nice bottle of wine and a bottle of lemon liqueur both imported from Italy. Granted they were both from years well after the feudal era, a removal of the labels and everything was all set. Mama also managed to pick up a variety of Italian desserts that needed to be eaten right away or have the cream spoil.

Having Inuyasha carry her bags back while she got to ride on his back was peaceful. Mama had asked him to be careful with the bags because they were breakable. Had she said something, he would have scoffed and ignored it, but because it was coming from Mama, his ride was soft and smooth. The contents of the bags were more precious than Kagome.

Once they returned, Kagome made her way to her room to deposit the supplies, taking only what was necessary. Everything else as a surprise for later. She left Inuyasha to play lovers with his mate and went into the kitchen where Shippo was trying to steal a piece of fruit.

"Sorry to intrude, but would you mind if I had a small piece of your kitchen to cook some food?" Kagome asked holding up the bag. The dog demon stirring the giant pot didn't seem too thrilled at sharing the kitchen with a human, or with a female. Apparently, women could prep the food, but couldn't cook it.

"I will not have you serving your filth to my Lord," the cook threatened.

Kagome laughed. "No worries, this is for Lupercus, the demon who doesn't speak Japanese," Kagome explained. Saying it was for the foreigner was the green light Kagome needed to set up shop. She grabbed two pots and set up shop in a corner where a small fire was still going.

Soon two fires were burning nicely, and a pot of water was being close to bubbling. Shippo watched with anticipation as Kagome got the evening meal underway. Since her food was not to touch or contaminate the rest of the household, Kagome was given the servant's dining room as the location to serve her meal. She didn't care; she was used to eating her meals under trees and in graveyards.

The meal didn't take long to cook. The noodles were cooked al dente which she preferred over soggy. Inuyasha and Shippo were the first to arrive with their bowls held out. She didn't even have time to drain the water before they swarmed. They liked her cooking, both traditional and nontraditional Japanese foods.

Lupercus seemed to float in with the smell of cooked tomatoes. His mouth watered to the point of borderline drool. He took his bowl and admired the smells. When Kagome placed the truffles on his plate she saw the pure joy on his face. 'Guess he really missed his homeland food.' Kagome wondered.

Hiroaki and Rin both came looking to investigate the interesting smell. Kagome smiled and offered them some, which they both eagerly took and went to join everyone else eating spaghetti in the servant's area.

Supper was well underway, everyone enjoying a piece of Italy when suddenly everyone became quiet and stared at the door. Sesshomaru was standing there with a couple of his advisors, looking at everyone eat. "Whaddya want?" Inuyasha barely looked up address his brother.

"This Sesshomaru thinks this smell is affronting. What is it?"

Kagome turned and addressed him. "It's a dish from Lupercus' home country. It's called spaghetti. Would you like to try a bowl?"

"Lord Sesshomaru will not try it." One of his advisors scoffed at Kagome who wasn't paying attention to Sesshomaru anymore.

"Are you enjoying it Rin?" Kagome asked before taking in another mouthful of noodles. With her mouth full, Rin nodded enthusiastically.

Kagome smiled as everyone at the table was too busy eating to give the demon lord standing there any acknowledgment. Kagome felt a trembling presence come and stand just behind the demon lord. She wanted to shake, but her curiosity wouldn't let her. Sesshomaru addressed the presence behind him. "Good of you to show, Uncle."

Kagome noticed Inuyasha had stopped eating. His fingers dropped the chopsticks and watched as his knuckles turned white. If Inuyasha was afraid, then this was bad news. What did this mean for her? She would have to test the waters.

"What is this delicious and interesting smell? Have you hired a new cook nephew?" The demon stopped and took a deep breath and savored the foreign smells.

"Would you like a bowl? There is still plenty," Kagome asked, being a gracious host.

"I would hate to intrude," the demon said acting polite. She could tell he was testing her, but for what reason and to what end?

"Of course not." Kagome got up and waited for the demons to move out of her way before preparing a bowl for the newcomer. A moment later, she handed him a bowl. "Come sit with us, there is plenty of room; unless you enjoy eating alone, then the dining hall should be free." Kagome smiled and went back into the room. That was a jab at the cook and a test of her own to see where the demon stood. Would he eat in the servant's quarters or was that something beneath him?

The demon laughed. "I like her." He stated and followed Kagome into the room and sat next to her and started to eat. His eyes lit up at the different tastes and textures on his tongue. His bowl was soon empty as well as everyone else's.

"Would anyone care for another bowl?" She asked the table who all stared at her. She wasn't about to serve them. "Go get it yourself." Her pack was already in the kitchen helping themselves. Hiroaki and Lupercus were having a discussion before both stood gracefully and walked into the kitchen. The newcomer looked at her expecting her to get up and serve him. "I'm not your mother, and I'm not your servant. If you want more you can use your capable legs and get yourself some more." She scolded him.

Sesshomaru was still standing just inside the doorway staring at them. Kagome could tell no one here was used to being scolded in such a manner. The uncle had a twinkle in his eye that made Kagome feel at ease. She smirked right back. There was the no killing clause and after this game, she would be long gone.

The demons soon came back into the room with their bowls overflowing with whatever food was left over. "Is there any left?" Kagome had to ask knowing their bowls were the last.

"Feh. As if." Inuyasha managed with his mouth full with half the bowl. Kagome shared a sad smile with Kikyo. The demon was all hers. Kagome collected the finished bowls and returned a few moments later with Chocolate Carnival balls (minus the alcohol) for the children. Shippo's eyes lit up as he eyed the different colors. Even Sesshomaru and his uncle looked on, curious at the colors.

Shippo, without having to be asked, took one and popped the entire thing in his mouth. The fox was a little melodramatic with his appreciation. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as his head fell back and a low, long moan came from his tiny mouth. Kagome giggled and offered him another. He greedily took one in each hand, before giving her his charming grin. She caved every time.

Rin and Hiroaki eagerly took one and both of their eyes lit up. Slyly, she offered one to the uncle, who tentatively took a small piece. Chocolate was never a good thing to give to dogs. A piece wouldn't kill them, they were demons, but enough and it would make them sick. But the nice thing about chocolate was once they had a taste, they would crave it. They would forever have the scent on their tongue and be drawn to it.

The children all went off to play with each other once the carnival balls were demolished (thanks to Shippo) and left the adults at the table. Sesshomaru left soon after, not bothering to try a chocolate ball.

Kagome came back with a small tiramisu with less the normal amount of cocoa sprinkling. She cut into the dessert and the smell of coffee burst into the air, making the room smell exotic. It didn't take long for the demons to demolish the second dessert.

Kagome left Inuyasha and Kikyo with the cleanup. She went and had a conversation with Lupercus. He was impressed and surprised he could taste the freshness of the foreign ingredients. So keeping true to his word, he told her the plan for the next challenge. Interrogation.

Kagome wasn't stupid; she knew what that meant. She would have to torture a person for information. The worst part was, the one they were going to set her up with was Sesshomaru's top general and head interrogations expert. He had been tortured for a year and never caved.

One thing Kagome wasn't good at was torture. She was screwed.

"Who's his general?" Kagome asked preparing for the worst.

"You just had your evening meal with him," Lupercus said gravely.

Kagome's stomach hit the floor. She was supposed to torture the uncle? She was screwed. She bit the side of her thumb in nervousness and tasted chocolate under her nail. An idea came to her and she almost laughed out loud. This was perfect. Kagome was about to show them again that she would win.

Kagome thanked the wolf and went to prepare for the challenge. There were other ways than torture to win, and she would show them that tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was awake at the crack of dawn. The noise the messengers were making made it hard for anyone to sleep in. Kagome groaned and tried to fall back asleep until she realized that today would be another test. She got up out of bed and hurried herself to get ready. She grabbed the bag full of her special 'period treats' which today was going to be her secret weapon.

The four remaining candidates were all in the massive hall waiting for the next challenge. One of the advisors came in and beaconed them to follow like good little puppy dogs. Kagome followed behind the female demons. She didn't need one of them innocently trying to remove her from the competition. There was a rule: no killing, but there wasn't one that said they couldn't trip her and let her plunge her way to her death.

They descended the stairs, and Kagome was thankful for her lack of smell. It was putrid to her nose and could only imagine how the others were managing. She wasn't the only one with her hand cupped over her nose and mouth to help her breathe.

"For most of you, this will be your final test." The advisor spoke up trying to ignore the stench coming from the room. "This is our interrogation room. As the future Mother to Heir of the West, it is your duty to, when called upon, interrogate people of interest. Your test will be to successfully interrogate one of Lord Sesshomaru's generals. Your goal will be to have them reveal a secret. They have already picked for you. Good luck."

"How long do we have?" Kagome asked the advisor before he ran out of the room.

The advisor stopped and scoffed, "There is no time limit on torture girl." He ran out of the room as fast as his little legs could take him.

"I just wanted to know if this was 'waterboarding-important' or 'shove-little-purified-toothpicks-in-his-penis-and-slowly-purify-his-reproductive-organ-big' or if it was something else?" Sadly, he left before she was able to receive her answer.

The remaining female demons gave her a once over and kept their mouths shut. Kagome pouted and reached into her ever-present bag and grabbed the tiny bottle of essential oil and placed a tiny drop of spearmint under each nostril to block out the smell of the rotting corpses. It was one of the dire necessities for living in the Feudal era. She helped bury enough bodies to know they never smelled pleasant.

It wasn't long before the female demons were starting to get nauseous from the smell. That's when Kagome felt the aura of some powerful demons coming towards her fast. It was show time. The door flew open bringing in a breeze of more rotting corpses. One of the demon females used a bucket and vomited.

"Looks like you won't even have to try." One of the generals said, or at least Kagome assumed they were the generals. The uncle was standing in the lead, so it was a valid assessment of the situation. The challenge hadn't already started and one of the remaining females was done. They should have done this right from the start. It would have saved her time and patience.

Which general picked the vomiting female? One was a nasty looking fox demon, two were dog demons, and one was a winged demon. For her plan to work, she needed to get one of the dog demons. It was already picked who she would get but with one of the females already out, the winged demon could be switched out.

Luckily for her, the plans didn't change. Kagome gave the uncle a smile as he stoically walked up to her. "I'm starved, let's get something to eat." She suggested.

The Uncle smirked. "Fine, I'll get the servant to bring us breakfast down here if you're that hungry."

Kagome almost giggled in delight. "Tell the cook to bring lots, I'm famished. I mean Inuyasha ate most of the spaghetti last night and saved very little for me. Oh, and tell them to make it snappy; we apparently have a busy schedule to keep." She removed the overstuffed bag and draped it across the back of the chair and sat down. Kagome rested her elbows on the adjoining table and waited a few moments before turning to the uncle with a quizzical look.

He looked at her for a moment then shook his head and got a servant to send a request for food. "Most can't be down here for long periods of time, let alone have a meal down here." He took a seat in the chair opposite hers.

Kagome watched as the female demons escorted their personal generals out and to who knows where. Once everyone was out of the room, but not out of earshot, she answered. "Thanks to Inuyasha, I've had my meals in a graveyard, in the middle of a battlefield, outside an acid swamp, and the list goes on. This is just one more place to add to the list."

"You are a weird one."

Kagome's head snapped up. That was the coolest compliment ever. "Thank you." She smiled and a shuffle at the door caught her attention. One of the servants was trying not to lose his breakfast while trying to bring them their morning meal. Kagome arose from her position and removed the tray letting the servant scurry back to the clean air.

They ate in relative silence, which was only ruined by Kagome's expressive moans of delight at the breakfast served before her. The meal finished and an air settled in the room. Both knew what was to come now. "So let me say this. I know there is no point in trying to torture you. I know I can't break you, and I know that Sesshomaru asked that we pair up because he's trying to make it so that I can't win. Which is fine because I don't want to win, but I will play the game. So instead of waterboarding you, purifying parts of your body, finger cuffing, burning, beating, or heaven forbid, I need to take out the notebook and try some other methods," Kagome counted on her fingers, not realizing the uncle had a slightly raised eyebrow showing concern, she continued on. "Why don't we leave here, come and sit outside of my room and we can have a game of _Go_. We keep each other company until one of the other demons win, and then call it quits?"

She was hopeful the demon would bite. "I am interested in your techniques and notebook."

"Come, let's have a game and discuss." Kagome smiled and picked up her bag.

"You are indeed a strange female."

Kagome laughed. "I've been called much worse."

* * *

Kagome and the uncle, who had yet to reveal his name, sat playing a game of Go out in the afternoon sun. Finding out the uncle's name was apparently the 'secret' she had to uncover. Kagome's stomach rumbled and she fished in her bag for some of her prized treats: Chocolate covered cocoa beans. She opened the ziplock bag and inhaled the chocolate scent. She fished one out and dropped it in her mouth. She offered the uncle one who took one and inspected it. Kagome set the clear bag down between the two of them and resumed her game.

Once the dog demon put the chocolate in his mouth, she knew it was only a matter of time. "They are good aren't they?" Kagome picked out another one and tossed it into her mouth and savored the expensive chocolate. She didn't like her chocolate sweet which was a good thing for her and a bad thing for dogs. Demons or not, they were all affected by chocolate in the same way.

Last night, uncle had a taste of the carnival balls, which was pure chocolate. Once dogs have a taste for it, they crave it; much like a one-time drug user being addicted to crack cocaine. The chocolate covered cocoa bean was literally a delicious toxin. Chocolate contained theobromine, which was toxic to dogs. Kagome had warned Inuyasha about eating too much, but he didn't listen and it gave Kagome the proof she needed that chocolate was literally sinful.

A healthy demon weighing about 170-180 pounds would need about two pounds of baker's chocolate to be deadly. Granted two pounds wasn't that bad, but she was in this competition to win. Her chocolate covered cocoa beans were about as deadly as one could get. The chocolate covered bean weighed 3-4 ounces each depending on the size. And to get him to a delirious state, he would need to consume close to half the bag and a month's worth of her allowance.

This stuff was not cheap!

The cocoa bean was roasted and then dipped in dark truffle, 80% cocoa chocolate, baking chocolate and dusted with pure cocoa powder. It was bitterer than most people thought of as chocolate, but she enjoyed the dark silky chocolate on her taste buds.

Lunch was skipped in lieu of the chocolate. The uncle was making a good dent in it, and Inuyasha was nowhere around to stop her and her plan. Inuyasha thought it was cruel to carry chocolate on her since he could constantly smell it, but she considered it perfect punishment for the grueling schedule and pace he made them all follow.

The uncle asked her about her knowledge of torture and her methods. Well, they weren't her methods, they were methods of other people, she just happened to record them. This was for her social class, and like the biology books she made on breaking Inuyasha's bones, this one was all about the world's different versions or methods of torture over the ages.

The bag of chocolate now long gone, the conversation still on torture, and the game of Go still being played, this seemed like the perfect afternoon. Kagome watched and waited for the signs to show. It had already been a few hours since the chocolate was first ingested. She watched as his eyes slowly glazed over and his hand started to tremble. She pretended to ignore it. Instead, she pressed on and asked him his name. He still wasn't delirious enough to let it slip—yet. They continued on talking about torture and methods and techniques. It was a gruesome conversation and yet, it was still light and not serious. Kagome placed her hand on her game piece and was in the middle of moving it when she heard the bad rumbling sound of the general's stomach.

Just as Kagome placed her piece, the uncle made a move to get up. "Sit," Kagome ordered.

"I shall return in a moment," he tried to reason.

"Leave now and forfeit your name," Kagome told him. The general painfully took his seat, trying to not let his discomfort show. The agonizing pain ripping through his intestines was heard by both of them.

The general took a few steady breaths and tried the mind over matter which worked for a few moments. But the atmosphere was now a tenser one. Kagome had shown her hand and the general knew she was in it to win. Kagome took out a box of chocolate flavored Pocky and opened the silver foil, sending a whiff of chocolate into the air. At the same time, the uncle's stomach made more churning noises. It seemed that with each stick Kagome took out, his stomach and intestines would make this painful sound.

"Just tell me and you can go," Kagome tried to reason with the dog demon again as she continued to play. The conversation regarding torture seemed to be overkill since the uncle was sitting before her trying to control his tremors both on the inside and on the outside. She could wait hours, but she wasn't sure how long he had before the antidote would be useless.

She was fighting a losing battle. She played to win, but she didn't want to kill anyone. Kagome steeled her resolve. They knew what they were getting into when they became the victims. If anyone was to blame it would be Sesshomaru. It was his idea. Had he not thought of this, she would never have to have resolved to this. The uncle's death would be on his hands, not hers.

The game continued on. Supper was being prepared and they were still sitting playing their original game of Go. The game became harder to concentrate on as the general was slowly losing his grip on reality. Delirium was slowly setting in. Finally!

"No, you can't. Father won't allow you." The general turned away from Kagome and curled into a ball. "Make the pain stop."

Kagome smiled. She would use this to her advantage and then give him the help he needed. She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. In a soft voice, she told him, "I can make all the pain go away, just tell me."

"I can't. You'll hate me." The delirium of the demon general was under the full effect of the toxin. "I don't want you to hate me."

"I can never hate you, sweetheart, just tell me your name and I'll make everything better you'll see," Kagome said gently, smoothing the hair from the demon's face. Sweat beaded all along his forehead and dripped down his temples. "Hurry sweetie, I need to know. Tell me your name, and I'll forgive you."

Kagome waited with baited breath as the demon's glazed eyes looked her over and nodded. "It's Yori. My name is Yori." Kagome wanted to dance in victory, but there was no time. She needed to save the general and rub this latest game in Sesshomaru's face.

Inuyasha and Kikyo were walking down the side of the main house when she flagged them over. She told them what the situation was and left a very pissed Inuyasha to clean up the mess. To cure a dog of chocolate poison, first vomiting needed to be induced. Kagome carried hydrogen peroxide as part of her medical kit which Inuyasha forced down Yori's throat to induce vomiting. It wasn't going to be a pretty sight in a few minutes, which was her sign to find Sesshomaru.

She left Kikyo to make the charcoal slurry. "Why did you do it?" Inuyasha asked her before she was out of earshot.

"I am playing to win Inuyasha. This is not only for me, but it's for you too. I just happen to hate to lose. Thanks for taking care of him. He's actually not a bad guy. I hope we got to him in time." Kagome sadly turned back to her original path and made her way into the demon compound.

"You owe me so big Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted after her.

"I'll make you a giant pot of ramen," Kagome said knowing he was a sucker for the cheap way out.

She could hear the hushed whispers of advisors talking, but it was too muffled to hear what they were saying. Not being one on formalities, Kagome opened the door and stepped inside. "I win." She smirked to the irked Sesshomaru and the annoyed advisors. One of the annoyances stepped forward and gave Kagome a speech on how she couldn't have won. She swore it lasted a solid ten minutes.

Kagome interrupted the advisor, "He told me his name." The room went silent with disbelief. If Kagome had a pin to drop, even she would have heard it.

"Is that so?" Sesshomaru raised a single brow and waited for her answer.

"His name is Yori." Kagome placed her hands on her hips and gave him a smug look.

"Impossible!" The demon lord growled low and seemingly flew from the room in search of his uncle. Kagome was close on his heels. Inuyasha was busy cleaning up the not so pretty mess. "What did you do?" Sesshomaru hissed at Kagome as he took in his top general's broken form.

"I only did as your challenge commanded." Kagome shrugged and took a cloth from beside Kikyo and dabbed the sides of his face. Yori looked up at her in wonderment. His eyes still heavily glazed over from the toxins flowing through his body.

"I don't feel so well." His voice small and childlike.

"I know sweetie, everything is going to be okay." Kagome smiled at him and moved out of the way as Inuyasha bent down to pick him up so he could be moved to the infirmary.

"I have a secret."

"Really, and what would that secret be?" Kagome asked in the same childlike tone.

"I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone, or she'll get mad and hate me forever." The demon pouted and Kagome tried so hard to keep a straight face.

"No one will hate you. I promise."

"Really?!" His voice full of hope. Kagome nodded her head and waited for him to continue. "I killed Mr. Neko-chan." Before Kagome could ask who Mr. Neko-chan was, the general had passed out. Inuyasha was already heading towards the medical ward and she was about to join him, but something made Kagome take a look at Sesshomaru.

Kagome fell on her butt and laughed: hard. It wasn't every day she got to see the ice armor chip and shatter and fall at the same moment. There stood the demon lord of the west looking horrified, shocked, surprised and uncertain all at once. Kagome laughed until tears came down her cheeks. She just wished she had brought her camera. That was a total Kodak moment.

Before Kagome could somber up, Sesshomaru was already gone.

* * *

Apparently, everyone had placed bets the morning of the current test. Kikyo was the only one who bet on Kagome winning first and won enough coins to rebuild her sister's village for the next several years, should anything happen to it. Of course, it helped when Kagome threw her own coins into Kikyo's kitty. Her family could use the old coins to sell to the museum for the new roof the shrine needed.


	12. Part XII

Sorry! I've been super busy. I thought it was yesterday that I posted it. Time sure does fly. One more chapter after this. And of course, none of this would be possible without Erinn. We love you! Oh, and all your questions are answered here. Read and enjoy.

* * *

Kagome went to visit the Uncle, Yori, while he was kept under the observation of Itachi-sensei. The good doctor wanted to scold her, but the demon knew better. Instead, he was scolding Yori for letting Sesshomaru take it this far.

Kagome tried not to laugh at Yori's expression, but the conversation stopped immediately when Kagome's presence was noticed. "How are you feeling?" Kagome asked the dog demon as she stepped into the room, while sliding the door closed behind her.

At first, Yori wouldn't speak. They sat in silence until the dog demon finally spoke up. "What did you do to me?"

"I gave you chocolate. Delicious, wasn't it? Cost me a pretty penny, but those are my favorite!"

"How are you not ill? How did you know which ones weren't poisoned?" Yori moved to sit up and Kagome helped him.

"Because chocolate affects dogs differently than humans," Kagome told him as she sat back down beside him.

"Interesting. You seemed certain you would get me for the test. Who told you? Was that why you were so nice at dinner?" Kagome shook her head.

The door opened and Itachi-sensei came in carrying a tray with tea. Kagome got up and retrieved the tray, thanking him, and placed the tray on the floor. She poured Yori a cup and passed it to him. She was offering the doctor a cup of his own, but he had left the room. She took the cup for herself, taking a small sip. The liquid was hot but not burning.

"I am nice to you because that's who I am," Kagome said. "I didn't find out what the next test was going to be until after dinner. Finding out it was you, was an added bonus." She winked and he almost choked on his tea.

"Why me?" He asked after a mild coughing session.

"You already tried the chocolate. Whether we both knew what was happening, you were already my victim as much as I was yours."

"But you gave the children chocolate!" Yori was horrified.

"I did." Kagome was going to explain the difference between commercial milk chocolate and the stuff she shared with him last night but didn't.

Yori wanted to push the subject but didn't. He was still on his guard regarding her, and he had many more questions he wanted to be answered. "What would you have done if it wasn't me but one of the other generals?"

Kagome laughed, lightening the tense mood, "I was panicking on the inside when the one started vomiting and canceled herself out. To be honest, I was hoping for the other dog demon. I would have done the same to him, as I did to you."

Yori was horrified. The other general would not have lasted as long. And he wasn't sure if his friend would have survived. "What if you didn't get a dog? What would you have done?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "I'm glad I didn't have to find out. I'm not sure I would like the person I became during that process. But if you must know, for the fox, I would have used a method called Chinese water torture. It's a slow and psychological process. Might have taken a day or a week, but the slow drip of the cold water between your eyes, combined with not knowing when the next drop would fall, is a maddening experience." Kagome paused for a moment and thoughtfully tapped her bottom lip with her finger, "Although, to be honest, chocolate would work on the fox too. But this girl knows more than one trick." She winked at the paling dog demon lying on the tatami mat.

Yori listened with apprehension. He wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not, but part of him didn't want to know. She was a dangerous woman. She was caring and sweet, but her dark side made him tremble. He wasn't sure what to make of her. "What of Tengu? What would you have done to him?" Part of him didn't want to know. He wasn't sure his comrades would have survived. The fox was a cunning creature, but the water torture sounds like something that would have broken him far beyond repair.

"Who's that?" Kagome asked unsure who he was talking about.

"Tengu. The bird demon. The other general."

Kagome took a moment and thought about it. "I would have clipped his wings and placed him in a cage with no roof. Every day, I would return and clip them a little shorter, and done so until he had no wings left and was a broken bird physically. While that was going on, I would take slivers of wood and stab them up under his nail bed." She demonstrated with an invisible piece of wood and watched as Yori absorbed the information.

"I would randomly put some of my purification power into a random piece sending his mind further down the rabbit hole. Th—" She was interrupted.

"You have purification powers?" Yori tried not to sound too shocked.

"Sesshomaru never told you?" She watched as the uncle shook his head. "Yeah, I'm a priestess with holy powers. Mostly untrained, but I have my moments. I'm surprised you weren't aware. Can't you demons smell it or something?"

Yori laughed at her simpleness. It was refreshing but alarming. He was certain that Tengu would survive the wing clipping, but he was fanatic when it came to his nails. That bird would have eventually sung like a canary to preserve his vanity. But it frightened him even more that she would have continued. How many tricks did she have? How limitless was her knowledge of these unfathomable things?

"How much more information do you have on torture?" He asked. He had seen some gruesome things in his long life, but some of her ideas were malicious.

"I have a notebook full of torture devices and sketches and descriptions on how to use them. We tried to have a conversation about it yesterday, but you were pretty out of it. Would you like to see it? I can get it." She offered. Yori agreed. She stood and the door opened violently. She gasped in shock as the three other generals stormed into the room. They gave Kagome a hard glance over, but she could tell there was serious trepidation in their eyes.

"Interesting what she would have done with you, right?" Yori asked his friends.

Kagome internally shrugged, guess they heard what she had planned. Instead, she excused herself to go and get her notebook.

When she returned a few minutes later, they all stopped talking and watched her with glaring eyes. "Hey, it's not my fault Sesshomaru dragged you into this mess. He has an heir. If he just admitted it, none of you would have been in potential danger. If you want someone to blame, look at him, not me."

Yori nodded his head in agreement after pondering what the girl said in his head. She had a valid point. She opened her notebook to page one and started to describe the picture in front of her.

"This is called 'The Head Crusher'. How it works is that a chin is placed on a bottom bar, and the head was under a cap." She pointed to her sketch. "The torturer then would turn the screw at the top, pushing the cap down, bringing the victim's head closer and closer to the bottom bar." It was literally making a 'head sandwich'.

"Teeth shattered," Kagome continued, "and you died of slow, agonizing pain, but, the best part, you were conscious while your eyes popped out of your skull." Kagome shook her head at the disgust her species. "If stopped halfway, there would be permanent damage to their brain, as well as their jaw or eyes. Not really an effective tool for torture if you need information."

The generals stared at Kagome. What could she say? Some people were monsters. It made her appreciate the beauty and the good in people all the more.

She continued on and explained many more. They sat in horrified silence as Kagome chatted about the various means of torture and which were more effective for which situation. She closed the book when she came to the end, and told them her most favorite one not recorded in the book.

"A tiny rod, a hammer, and the urethra." The four males cringed.

The fox spoke, "If you had me, that's all you would have needed to do to get whatever you wanted!"

Kagome laughed. "It gets more people than you think."

"How many people have you used these on?" Yori asked trying to figure her out.

"These?" She held her notebook, "none. I recorded them for a social studies class on how humans can be monsters to each other and why. Some humans do this for information due to hubris or fear or jealousy."

"So you're not an evil person?" Tengu asked.

Kagome laughed. "I could never do something like this. Never! It would damage my soul. Instead, I have understanding and insight. Plus, I do not covet what other people have. I'm grateful for the here and now."

The four demons seemed to relax under her explanation. She was a good person with terrifying knowledge and abilities. Yori respected that. If he had to pick a way to go, it would have been the same way as yesterday; death by chocolate.

* * *

Kagome was still waiting for the next challenge. There were only two candidates left now. She half suspected an advisor told one of them to cave so Kagome wouldn't be the winner. It was their fault for making their lives so much more difficult than it had to be. At this point, she almost missed shard hunting, almost, but she would never tell Inuyasha that.

Kagome gathered the children and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

It was easy enough to build an oven in the feudal era if one had the right abilities. Digging holes, gathering stones, clay, straw, and sand was the easy part. Inuyasha made a trip to the future for some glass bottles. The cook even came out to help. The children were eager to help, some even bringing their guardians and servants to help gather material. What should have taken an entire afternoon to make, took less than a few hours with the demon strength and power she had at her disposal.

Every child who helped got one and Kagome decided to take a couple cookies to her new friends. After cleaning up, not that it took that long with all the children pitching in, she made her way to the dojo.

There she watched the four generals fight until the smell of her freshly made cookies stopped them and made their stomachs growl in hunger.

Yori's face was conflicted. He wanted to eat the cookie so badly, but he knew what it could do to him. Before he could stop his friends, they already had a bite of it, enjoying it.

Kagome laughed and pulled a smaller cookie from the bottom of the pile. "This one is chocolate free."

Yori walked over with as much dignity as his drooling mouth would allow and graciously took the cookie.

The remaining cookies were eaten, and Kagome sat against the wall and watched the four deadly Generals spar. It was breathtaking and exhilarating. The speed and power in which they fought was terrifyingly beautiful.

She sat for hours, watching them until all four demons were covered in sweat panting from their workout.

"Care to take us on?" Yori asked Kagome who blinked a few times coming back to reality.

Kagome blushed a little, she was slightly affected by the attractive bodies in front of her. Kagome laughed. "I'm sure you could kill me a thousand ways before I knew what hit me. I have no skills in hand to hand combat. Even more useless with a sword."

It was Yori's turn to laugh. "You pointed a sword at Sesshomaru and lived. Plus I heard you almost took out our esteemed Lord at the beginning of this competition."

The other three demons looked at Yori and Kagome, it seemed they had no idea.

"Pure luck," Kagome brushed it off. "Plus, I'm an archer. I do long distance."

"I'm just curious to see what she can do," Tengu spoke up. "If I set up the target, can we see?"

Kagome nodded her head, "Sure. Go right ahead."

Tengu borrowed his comrades and went to go set up some targets. While the generals were doing that, Kagome saw Shippo playing with a few friends and went to see what they were up to.

"You never saved me a cookie?" Shippo pouted as he jumped into Kagome's arms.

"I asked if you wanted to come, but you were too busy with your friends, remember?" Kagome chided the kit softly. "What were you doing anyway?"

Shippo blushed. "Nothing." He said using a singsong tone.

"So long as you don't get in trouble when Inuyasha finds out."

Shippo gasped. "How did you know?" Kagome gave him the look. "Right, moms always know." He said rolling his eye and reciting something she had told him many times over the years. "What are you doing now?" He decided to change the subject.

"Sesshomaru's generals are setting up a target practice for me. They want to see how well I can shoot."

Shippo perked right up. "You shoot the best Kagome! Can we watch?" Shippo was always proud of Kagome. What she lacked in skill she made up for it in knowledge and heart. That's part of what drew him to her. She had a bright soul and unwavering spirit; it was like a moth to a flame every time he was near her.

Kagome ran her fingers through his tangled fur. He tried to get her to stop, it was embarrassing, he knew better than to leave without brushing the knots out, but he was in a hurry. She nodded and he got all excited. He jumped out of her arms and told his band of friends that they could watch. He was Kagome's greatest cheerleader.

Shippo ran to get more friends to watch. Kagome was so cool, everyone should witness some of her greatness. He was so proud of her.

When the area was all set up and ready for Kagome, there were a small group of adults and a larger group of children.

"Okay, we have several targets set up," Tengu explained. "One is a pure maiden running for her life. One is an evil-hearted human, and the rest are demons trying to kill the maiden." He pointed to his target scenario 100 paces from where they stood.

Kagome could see, the maiden out in front, the demons and the lone human further in the back. In total there were 7 targets including the maiden. It looked like a typical human snatching.

Yori handed her the bow and quiver of arrows. Kagome pulled back on the bowstring and visualized. The targets morphed into actual beings frozen in time. She breathed slowly focusing. With every breath, the outside world faded away. There was just her and the targets. 'Hit the mark!' She thought as she released the string.

Her arrow flew true. The pink light flooded the pathway bathing everything in pink light before settling itself in the heart of the dark human.

The scene cleared and there was nothing left but a "dead" dark human and a perfectly untouched maiden.

The adults stood in shock and a mixture of awe and fear.

"That was awesome Kagome!" Shippo was the first one to speak.

Kagome was going to answer but she heard Inuyasha scream out Shippo's name in a murderous rage. She knew the kit did something because he sheepishly hit behind her laughing. Kagome shook her head and went to find Inuyasha and placate the dog demon.

Shippo thanked Kagome as she went and he stayed in the safety of numbers. She was a cool mother figure.

Once she was out of earshot, one of Shippo's playmates said, "I wish she were my mom. She's so cool."

"Not this again!" Shippo grumbled under his breath, and did his best to redirect the children's conversation.

"How did she become your mom?" One of the children asked.

The adults stopped talking to listen to the children's conversation. "My mom and dad are dead and Kagome saved me and looks after me now." Shippo explained again. Didn't these demons realize their question made him sad every time they asked about it?

"Will Kagome look after me too if my mom and dad were to die?" A little demon girl asked.

"Our parents are alive, you idiot," her brother chastised.

"But if we kill them, then we'll be like Shippo and can stay with Kagome."

All the children agreed. They were getting very animated on how they would kill their parents so they could live with Kagome forever. The adults stood speechless as the children plotted their parents' death.

Before they could break up the ensuing madness, Shippo spoke up and was the voice of reason. "You know Kagome would be very sad if you killed your parents. She might even get mad at you." Shippo warned them, he had this very same conversation before with a different batch of children. Couldn't demons learn that Kagome was his, and he didn't want to share!

The thought of making Kagome sad and mad defused the situation immediately. "Let's not make Kagome sad. We should pick her some flowers and make her happy!" One girl said. The rest of the group agreed. They hurried off into the field, leaving Shippo alone with the adults.

"What just happened?" Yori asked completely baffled.

"This is Kagome's true power," Kikyo answered. "She has the power to draw everyone and everything to her." She felt as if she were repeating the same words Inuyasha told his brother previously.

"What power did she wield over the children?"

Shippo jumped onto Kikyo's shoulder, wanting to gain height. "It's not like that. We just want to be around Kagome because she's warm and full of life." Shippo shrugged. "I dunno, I thought it was a fox thing."

Kikyo shook her head. "No, everyone is attracted to her light."

"Amazing." The Lady Mother said after analyzing the situation and information.

"But the children were plotting on killing their parents!" Yori tried to process the information. The dog siblings gave each other a look.

Shippo growled. "I wouldn't let that happen." He puffed up. "Kagome is mine, and I'm not about the share." He jumped off Kikyo's shoulders and went to where the rest of the kids were murdering flowers for his mom.

The fox General laughed, "Now, that's definitely a fox thing."

"By the way dear brother," Lady Mother addressed her younger brother. "I hear you have a confession to make about my dear Mr. Neko-chan." Yori went white and stared at his sister in horror. He refused to discuss the murderous death of his sister's precious wooden doll from when she was but a pup. How was he to know that her most precious item was a stick?! It looked like every other stick. He had nothing to say, instead, he claimed he had work to do and left.

Everyone else ventured off except for Kikyo, who was certain she wanted to stay out of Inuyasha and Kagome's way; and for the Lady Mother, who stood overlooking the children.

"I didn't realize a mortal could hold that much influence and purity."

Kikyo didn't look at her companion but replied, "The true test of Kagome's value and worth are not measured by a test. It is a compilation of all the intangible qualities that make Kagome special. The tangibles: the wealth, power, intelligence, physical attributes, things that are measurable have no meaning or value to Kagome which is why she has passed all of Sesshomaru's tests. Kagome won your son's game the moment he accepted the jewel shard."

"How does it feel to know that's what you'll become?" Lady Mother motioned towards Kagome who was standing toe-to-toe against Inuyasha while protecting Shippo behind her.

"To be honest, I'm perfectly fine with that. I couldn't be happier." Kikyo smiled softly at the person her soul would blossom into. No one got to see who or what they became once they moved on, but because of the Jewel of Four Souls, she got to meet her and experience her as pack. She would forever be grateful for the opportunity.

Sighing, she left the Lady Mother, and went to deal with her mate before Kagome subdued him. She sighed for the second time in a matter of seconds when she heard the subjugation command. Kikyo went to appease her Alpha.


	13. Part XIII - End

There will be two notes, one here and one at the end. This is dedicated first and foremost to Erinn, my beloved beta reader. Second is to you, the reader. Oh and FYI if you couldn't handle my "torture" chapter, I suggest you run. Run into the hole you live in and put your tinfoil hat back on and wait for the aliens! This has an "M" rating for a reason. If the "M" rating bothers you, then so back to the safe section of G. For everyone else, enjoy the show. Much love! Yes. Last Chapter. Merry Christmas and all that fun stuff.

* * *

Kagome was livid. So much so she was seeing red! She had just finished what she thought was the game with a horrible curve ball, because torture was never a cakewalk; and now it had come down to something so humiliating she was seriously debating on backing out. She had a moral code, and she was not going to break it for some stupid contest!

The next test was to see how good of a lover she could be. Seriously! Why did she have to be the one to prove herself? All what the guy has to do is stick it in, grunt a few times as he thrusts, and ejaculates inside. Then he rolls over and goes to sleep or gets something to eat and thinks he's the manliest man ever. Two minutes does not make you a man; it makes you a walking reproductive organ.

Now the woman should be the one that needs to see how delivering a partner can be. Why else was the Kama Sutra written and illustrated with pictures? So men could read and understand how to please a woman. The woman should be allowed to have hundreds of partners (without being thought of as a slut) because she needs to find the one guy who can please her like no other can. What could be sloppy for one is considered romantic for another.

Men took the power, which is how she got to be pacing in her small room at the back of the demon compound. She wasn't sure if she could go through with it. As much as she wanted to win, she wasn't prepared to give up her virginity for some contest. She might come from the future and when morals went out the window with passion and 'love' but she still believed in saving herself for someone she loved and respected. She thought Inuyasha would be the one, but with him mating Kikyo, that option came off the table.

Kikyo walked in Kagome's room, watching Kagome pace back and forth mumbling to herself. "You don't have to have sex with him." Kikyo told her as she took a seat on the chest.

Kagome stopped pacing for a moment and looked at the woman sitting comfortably in her room. "What do you mean?" She was baffled. The challenge was to sleep with Sesshomaru.

"The contest requires you to show off your skills." Kikyo couldn't meet her eyes. "Inuyasha has explained this thing you call 'blowjob'…" She couldn't continue.

Kagome wanted a hole to open up and swallow her whole. "Oh my god!" She hid her reddening face in her hands. "How much did he tell you?"

"I have tried recreating the experience you give, but apparently my skills are lacking." Kikyo stated with brutal honesty. She had come to terms with being inexperienced compared to her reincarnation. Kagome came from a different time with different views and techniques for everything. This one little lacking would not embarrass her.

If Kagome had ever prayed for a demon hoard attack, or Naraku to come out belly dancing nude, now would definitely be the time.

"Kagome, remember you come from a time and place where sex is different. I could never do or think of half of the things you do. The place you come from shows you how a woman can regain control of a male dominated situation. You have the power, both on the inside and on the outside, to take what you want. You just need to take it."

Kagome stared at the older woman. Never in a million years would she have guessed Kikyo capable of thinking, let alone saying those things! Kikyo was right about one thing: she needed to take what she wanted.

All Kagome had to do was show Sesshomaru her skills. A blowjob was a much better alternative than having sex with a complete stranger. Okay, so he wasn't exactly a stranger either, but this was the lesser of two evils. If she went through with the next challenge, would that make her a slut? She gave Inuyasha a few rounds with her mouth, and of course, she'd also thought they were going to be together forever. But would going a round with Sesshomaru make her less of a woman?

Who decided? Who determined her self-worth? Who decided it was morally wrong to test drive a potential lover?

Plus, now the end game was in sight. Win this and the game would be over. Win this and everything becomes worth it to see the look in his face when she denies him. "Inuyasha doesn't know does he?" Kagome checked outside to see if the fuming half demon would start a rage. While she might not belong to him, he was still overprotective of her.

"Inuyasha is out investigating a possible shard location. He should be back this evening to say he can't find anything without one of us present. Then I will go with him to confirm or deny a shard. During that time, you will be doing the contest. Inuyasha will not know at all or will not know until it's too late."

Kagome stared with awe and wonder. She wanted to ask how someone so pure could be so devious but couldn't find the right words.

Kikyo understood the younger girl's question. "Just because I'm a priestess doesn't mean I can't have thoughts or ideas. I am still a woman, Kagome."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said meekly. "Thanks for taking care of Inuyasha. Now I have a devious idea but would it be overkill?" She bit her bottom lip and chewed on it nervously as the thought lit up a light bulb.

Kikyo's proper posture never faltered as she shifted positions. Kagome was envious at how Kikyo could have a regal air about her, "Kagome, I am sure your plan will be overkill, but it is one of your qualities. You are not one to do anything half assed."

Kagome bit on her abused lip and got Kikyo to stand and went into the chest. She removed a plastic bag containing her dilemma. "It's a present Kouga asked me to get for Ayame. She likes white and he wanted to present her with a courting gift." Kagome removed the white fur bikini and matching boots. "Apparently she has an affinity to white."

"And you want to use them on Sesshomaru?"

"Is that too much?" She could wear a bikini out in public, she did sometimes at the beach. She was aware of her scars, but they were a part of her, made her who she was. She used a lot of Vitamin E serum to lighten the harshness of the angry tissue, but she accepted the deformity as part of her.

Kikyo laughed. "I'm glad Inuyasha will not be anywhere near here."

"So not too much?"

"If you're still playing to win, then you would."

Kagome nodded with resolve. "Guess I owe Kouga a new gift." She laughed in disbelief. She was going to actually go through with it. It didn't take her long to get ready. She didn't need to prepare herself since she wasn't going to reveal her private parts. But she did like to be clean so she took a bath and covered her body in a whipped body butter.

Kikyo lent her a spare gi, which was shorter in the sleeves and slightly longer stopping at mid-thigh. She grabbed her bag and made her way into the giant meeting room to meet her doom. It just dawned on her that he might want to have an audience. Could she deal with eyes staring at her?

That was something she didn't know. She didn't have long to wait before the last candidate walked into the room. She was all dressed up with fine silks and jewels, making Kagome feel slightly under dressed, despite the obvious fact she was. She just needed to show off her skills; she didn't need to market herself anymore than she already had.

Sesshomaru walked in and gave the two a once over before raising a single eyebrow in Kagome's direction. "Have you decided to resign, Miko?" He sneered.

Yup, that's all she needed to steel her resolve. Kagome stood and allowed the baggy gi to fall silently to the floor. She grabbed the bag and walked right up to the demon lord, swaying her hips and smirked. "Where are we going to do this? I've never done it in front of a crowd before. Could be a thrill if you swing that way."

She wasn't prepared for the forceful tug of her arm and her immediate removal of the room to an inner chamber. Kagome grabbed her arm and rubbed it, soothing the skin of its rough abuse. The room itself was nothing to brag about; it was a small room with a chest, a large futon and a chair. She deposited her bag by the bed. The door closed slowly and she turned to watch Sesshomaru watching her.

His golden eyes devoured her scantily clad body. This made Kagome bold. It gave her some form of control and she was going to take it and hold it in a death grip. "Like what you see?"

The demon lord growled low and made his way over to her. He circled her a few times, admiring his captured prey. Kagome wasn't going to relinquish the power any time soon. His fingers trailed the fur along the middle of her back. The dreaded underwire pushed her breasts up and out giving her more cleavage.

Kagome gave him a smile. He too smiled, but it wasn't kind or filled with nice thoughts. His fingers trailed down to the strings that tied the bottom together. She watched as his fingers slightly pulled against the string to test its resistance. Kagome gently smacked his fingers and stepped out of his reach.

The look on his face told her that this was new territory. It seemed Sesshomaru didn't know how to react to dominating women. This made Kagome feel even more powerful. It left her with a tingling sensation, shivers running down her body.

Sesshomaru moved too fast for her to see, her head was grasped in his firm grim. Before she could do or say anything, he lowered his mouth to hers in a crushing kiss. It wasn't gentle or passionate; it was rough and demanding as he tried to force her body into compliance. Kagome didn't comply, and she fought back with her own dominance.

No lips had to beg or plead for entrance, the battle had no beginning, it just was. She ran her tongue against his canines, loving the feel of their deadliness against her soft muscle. His tongue was as silky as she expected it to be. She could just imagine what he could do with the smooth texture. She knew not to go there, but her mind couldn't help itself. She felt him smirk against her as her body rushed with warmth telling her she was starting to get aroused.

It would be no fun if the party ended without her plan being put into place. Instead she took back control of the kiss and slowly broke it off and tugged on his lower lip with her teeth before glancing up. His eyes were slightly clouded over in lust.

"Strip," Kagome ordered him and took a step back to watch. He watched her a moment before he made a move toward her. This time she was ready. She was out of his immediate reach again. "Don't make me repeat myself." She told him with more authority in her voice.

His eyes narrowed, but he slowly complied. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and watched as he stripped. She tried not to look at the slow pace he set for himself. She turned the chair so she could watch as he put on a show.

Kagome sat there, legs crossed, elbows on each chair arm and biting on the index nail of her right hand. His bare chest screamed at Kagome. It was well defined, and despite his missing arm, he was a fine specimen. His hand rested on the wrap holding his pants up. She could feel heat start to pool between her legs. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, trying to relieve herself of the feeling. She would not cave now.

She stopped biting on the abused fingernail and decided he took long enough. She walked up to him with a determined fire in her eyes. "You took too long." She chastised as she moved her hand up and down the front of his pants. She could feel the length of him growing and hardening under her touch. She savored the feeling. This was all because of her. She was the reason he was hard. It was a power trip.

It didn't take her long before she could feel a dampening against her hand. He made a move to grab her but stopped when she dropped to her knees and put her hot mouth against his swollen member. Her blue eyes looked into his, "Strip." She commanded again. It didn't take long this time before his pants were removed and he stood naked in all his demon glory.

God, he was hot. The magenta stripes hugged his body like a secret lover. She traced her blunt nails up the sides of his legs to his hips and over to his backside and pulled him closer. Kagome needed to remember her mission and challenge. She was slowly losing all willpower to play the game and just wanted to lose herself in the sensations.

Sesshomaru's growl, almost snarl, reminded her she had the power and she wasn't going to give it up. She used her nose and pressed it against him, smelling him as intimately as she could get. She honestly expected it to be much worse than it was. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Her fingers moved up the stripes, his muscles danced under her soft touch. She stood and ran both of her hands over his nipples. His sharp intake of breath made her smile. Before he could react, she leaned forward and placed a tiny bud in her mouth. She wasn't a nipple person, but she knew they were a pleasure zone.

Her teeth grazed over the nipple as she removed it from her mouth and moved to the next one. He tried to bite back his moan, but his body told Kagome he was enjoying it. Kagome continued to abuse the now red buds until he could no longer stand the stimulus to his body.

Kagome knew what he was trying, he wanted to throw her on the bed and regain control, but she wasn't having any of it. She wrapped her hand around his length and stroked it. His body shook and his manhood pulsed telling her he was about to experience his first orgasm. She quickened the pace of her hand and placed her mouth greedily over the hardened nub and helped send him over the edge. His seed coated her hand and his stomach.

Kagome pushed him towards the bed, which he didn't complain about. His brain still in a fog from his release. Kagome didn't want to give him too much time to recover. She still had to win the game. She kneeled in between his legs and ran her tongue down his stomach cleaning up the evidence of his release.

It wasn't the worst taste, but she had put better things in her mouth: like udon and chocolate. Her breath teased his tip and it sprung back to life to squeeze out more white liquid. Inuyasha was the same way. He had never had proper fellatio, so it was hyper stimulated by her acts. Kagome smiled; she wasn't done yet. Sesshomaru might have been silent, but his body was speaking loud and clear.

She took his entire shriveling length in her mouth and sucked on it. She sucked out the last few remaining drops, the demon lord snarled and bucked his hips, trying to get Kagome to relinquish her dominance.

She was nowhere near done. She removed his flaccid member from her mouth and ran her tongue to his perfectly shaped, hyper sensitive ball sack. The hair covering them was fine and soft, another thing she was thankful for. She took one ball into her mouth and rolled it about with her tongue. The demon arched his entire back off the futon and stared at her with swirling red and gold tinged eyes.

The power she controlled over him was almost powerful enough to let herself slip-up. She could see herself under him, submitting herself to the pleasure she was sure the demon lord would return after what she had done to him. All she had to do was let go. She wouldn't. Not yet. This was a game she would not—could not lose.

Sesshomaru grabbed a fistful of Kagome's hair and pulled her up to meet his eyes. He growled low; Kagome took that as a sign of walking on new territory. Which was a good thing for her, and a whole new experience for the demon Lord.

He forced her head to the side and licked a sinful trail from her collarbone to the shell of her outer ear. She felt herself slowly losing to the rapidly growing pool between her legs. She wasn't sure when it was but she was now positioned on her back with Sesshomaru on top. His now pure red eyes stared down at her like she was the captured prey. Right now, she was. She also had no idea on how to reverse the situation and take back the power.

She had no idea how sinful and erotic smelling someone was. He had yet to touch her, and she was already feeling the effects. His heated breath on her skin had her body wiggling, pleading for more, although Kagome would never concede.

She felt his member heated with new life, resting dangerously close to her core. She needed to think, but her brain was slowly becoming mush. Right now she wanted nothing more than to relinquish power and control. It would have been too easy and she would have loved every minute of it. There was one problem: she wasn't a fan of losing.

Painfully pushing the desire away, she pulled his body closer so he was practically seated on her stomach. She personally didn't see the desire of this position, but apparently guys (so she was told) and Inuyasha swore by it. Granted, it could be the name alone that turned her off. But for the game, she was pulling out all the stops and if giving Sesshomaru a 'tit-fuck' was the winning factor, she could live with that. Mammary intercourse was a much better name, but it was so scientific and cold.

She placed his member under the tube top of the bikini and in between the two mounds pushed together from the underwire. It took a fraction of a second before Sesshomaru took control and started enjoying his new conquest.

Kagome prepared herself and used her free hands to push her breasts closer together. Sesshomaru growled low and grunted at the added pressure. Kagome grinned as the demon lord snarled slightly at her. She had once again regained control.

She could feel himself slowing down, trying to regain his own control and to regain what was once lost. Kagome wasn't going to lose control of this game anymore. She came to a shocking realization that she wouldn't mind losing her virginity to Sesshomaru, and it was for that reason now she couldn't lose.

She upped the pleasure, making sure he would definitely lose all control. She would win even if it would kill her. As he pumped between her breasts, she darted out her tongue and flicked his tip with her tongue.

Kagome felt that one flick was almost the death of him. Well for that round. Kagome watched as it took every ounce of control Sesshomaru possessed not to release himself on her. Kagome tried so hard to bite back a smile, but it was failing miserably.

Sesshomaru growled low, demanding obedience from his lover under him. When Kagome let out a strangled laugh, he crushed her mouth with a searing kiss. The kiss wasn't soft, wasn't kind. It was another battle for dominance, which neither party wanted to relinquish.

Kagome won when she moved her head forward and sucked on the tip, hard. The demon lord threw back his head and roared. Kagome watched as his jaw started transforming. He was losing complete control of himself, and as much as Kagome should have been afraid, she was relishing the power she had over him.

His following release wasn't too long afterwards. His essence coated her chin, neck and upper chest. He stared at her coated in his essence and grinned. Kagome knew she would need a bath after this. She wasn't fond of the 'pearl necklace' but it was a small sacrifice in the name of winning.

She slipped out from under him. He was still on his knees enjoying the feeling, his face still trapped between demon and beast. She stood and placed his head on her stomach. He breathed in her scent and rubbed his face in her flat belly. She stroked his hair until she discovered his elfin ear. Her fingers trailed it from the tip to the base and back.

"Let me show you what a human can do that a demon can't." His head leaned up and stared at her. His molten red eyes asked the questions while his mouth was shut. "Humans have no claws," Kagome told him tracing the jagged lines on his cheeks, scraping her blunt fingernails across them. She could feel his arm running his own deadly claws up her leg. She knew, all he needed to do was press a little bit harder and he would kill her. But that was part of the thrill. She felt every second of it pool low in her belly and knew he could smell it.

"Humans have dull teeth." She shuttered the feeling he was provoking was almost her undoing. She wouldn't lose. Her teeth scraped against the sensitive shell of his ear and worked her way to the very tip. She nibbled so lightly she could barely feel the skin under her teeth.

She moaned low as his hand snaked from behind her and cupped her sex. Had she not firmed her resolve, it would have been the proverbial death of her. "Sesshomaru!" She hissed out as a single clawed finger slipped beneath the cloth covering her slid against her opening causing her to shiver in delight.

She was about to tell him to ravish her when his control slipped and he nicked her. The pain was enough to bring her back to reality. He removed his finger and watched as blood coated his digit. He was trapped between embarrassment and sorrow, and desire to bathe in the scent of her blood. It was more of a turn on for Kagome than she realized.

"Let me show you something that will blow your mind." It wasn't hard for Kagome to push him back. He brought his digit up to his lips and licked her desire and her blood. It was strangely erotic.

This would be the final test. If he was still standing after this, she would give in to all the sinful desires she was sure he could provide.

She coated her finger with her saliva and realized it wasn't going to be thick enough. She pumped his stiffened member a few times to get some precum, but it was now watery. The last option was the only one left. She slipped her fingers in between the bikini bottoms and coated her finger with her own juices. Kagome started to play with herself as Sesshomaru watched on. It didn't take her long to have her fingers coated with her essence.

The smell of her desire strongly hit both their noses as she lifted up her fingers to coat her digit carefully before placing it on the pink ring of his underside. He growled low in warning but she continued to circle the ring until slowly he started to relax and allow her finger entrance.

It didn't take very long until her finger was inside and he roared viciously at the intrusion until Kagome found the walnut shaped gland and flicked it with her fingertip. His movement suddenly stopped as his body shivered in the new sensation.

The grand finale would take all of her concentration. She wasn't good with hand-eye-mouth coordination, but she hoped she would do fine. Her finger rubbed against his prostate gland, sending new shock waves down his body and into his manhood. Her other hand traced her blunt nails down his thighs and marking. She watched as wave after wave of shocks sent him to another world.

She watched in awe as his face transformed into his beast as he lost control of himself. His thighs now bright red from her blunt tips, she decided to put them to better use. She cupped his delightfully soft balls in her hand and rolled them.

His entire body was suddenly coated in white fur. He roared as her cheek rubbed against the softness of the white fur that lined his manhood. Kagome wasn't a fan of hair, but this was so soft, so smooth, she couldn't help herself. Her lips kissed down his length enjoying the feel of heated silk. She could have lost herself in the soft feel of fur and let it surround her as he dominated her, but she couldn't allow herself that pleasure. Not now. Not when she was so close!

She discovered he liked his prostate rubbed deep and hard, and liked having his balls caressed lightly with her other hand. It took all her concentration to keep up the pace she set. There was no way she could fit the entire length of him in her mouth, so she took in the tip and gave the highly sensitive part homage.

Every push, suck, lick and feel sent him closer to the edge. She wasn't sure how long or how much he could take before he exploded. She knew it was close. Even when his body started to shake, she didn't stop. When his roar shook the walls, she made herself go faster and harder until he exploded so violently in her mouth.

She continued long after the shocks stopped and realized he had passed out. Kagome pulled her finger out and sat back. She had won. She had actually done it!

Wasting no time, she went into her bag and grabbed a wet wipe from her bag and proceeded to clean off the pearl necklace and her fingers. She would definitely need a long bath after that. She was sure his essence was also in her hair. She shivered in disgust and didn't want to think about it.

She grabbed the bottle of hand sanitizer and coated her hands in it. She didn't want to think of where her finger had just been. But it was all worth it. The demon lord was passed out on the futon. She wasn't sure how long he'd be out for, and she didn't want to be around when he woke up. She would have no control or willpower to stop herself from giving in.

Quickly, she packed away the used wet wipes for later disposal. She slung the bag over her shoulder, took one last look at the almost comatose demon and exited the room. The second door she opened contained a flustered Jaken.

"Human, what have you done to Lord Sesshomaru?" He squawked.

"Nothing that rest won't solve. You might want to let him sleep a while before you attempt to wake him." Kagome said over her shoulder but it fell on deaf ears as Jaken was already gone to check on his lord and master.

Kagome picked up the discarded gi Kikyo provided and made her way to the exit.

"No one is to bother my Lord as he rests." Jaken told the advisors, leaving no room for arguments. "You!" He waved his little green finger at Kagome, "You are a beast!"

Kagome walked out of the room laughing. She wasn't a beast; she was a tamer of beasts. She went into her room and grabbed her bathing supplies before walking towards the hot spring. She didn't need Kikyo's clothing smelling like herself and Sesshomaru so she left it in her room and walked the distance in her bikini.

She felt more than saw the eyes staring at her. Although she wanted to imagine they were all staring at her because of her… but she was almost positive they were staring at her because she smelt like Sesshomaru and because of the wall shaking roar he had released not too long ago.

The warm water was almost too hot on her skin. Her body was still heated from Sesshomaru, so she wasn't in the spring as long as she would have liked. But she was clean and that's all that mattered to her.

She stepped out of the enclosed spring and into the sight of an enraged half demon. "What the fuck did you do Kagome?!" Inuyasha snarled.

"I thought he wasn't going to know?" Kagome addressed Kikyo instead.

"I hadn't put into consideration you would actually succeed as well as you did," Kikyo stated honestly.

"You knew about this?" Inuyasha turned on his mate.

"It was only a blowjob Inuyasha. Plus, I think this means I win. Which means you win." She played on his ego a bit. She watched as Inuyasha smirked. "Plus, I owe you a big pot of ramen, don't I?"

Inuyasha grinned at the ego inflating and ramen. Subject effectively changed.

* * *

It had taken Sesshomaru two days to fully recover his strength. The rumors spread like wildfire and Sesshomaru was in no hurry to stop them or correct them. Kagome didn't mind half of them, some stating that she was a human with a demon soul or she was actually a goddess or she was a monster and devoured her lovers until they were reduced to their demon state. The only one who really had a problem was Inuyasha. He would have a problem with everything at this point. He was acting like her mate and alpha, and he was neither.

They had just finished packing their belongings and supplies and said their goodbyes when the last candidate came running out of the compound crying. "Guess she was rejected," Inuyasha smirked.

"Does that mean you win Kagome?" Shippo asked from the comfort of her arms.

"I guess it does Shippo, I guess it does." She pondered as they started to walk away from the compound gates. Hiroaki, Lupercus, and Yori stood at the gates to send them off with a farewell wave. They had almost made it to the tree cover when a loud roar was heard.

The group stopped and turned to look. "Where do you think you are going?" One of the advisors called out. The group stopped and Kagome passed Shippo off to Inuyasha and made her way back to the gates.

"I have a quest to complete, and friends and family I must see."

"When shall you return?"

Kagome turned and looked at the advisor who asked the question, then at Sesshomaru who was probably thinking the same thing. Then she laughed. "Never. You don't get it, do you Sesshomaru? I played your game. I won. Now I have the right of my winnings to turn you down." It felt so good to say she won.

"You are turning this Sesshomaru down?" His eyes swirling with rage.

"Of course I am. You have an heir. You don't need me." Kagome stared at the deaf demon child who ran into her outstretched arms the moment he left Lupercus' side.

'Not go.' He signed and tears started to well up in his amber eyes.

'I here.' She pointed to his heart. 'Ask Inuyasha. He help. I help.' She signed back. He nodded his head and allowed a few tears to spill. Kagome made the sign 'I love you' and placed it on his chest. The demon child nodded and hugged onto her hand like a lifeline. She kissed the top of his head and sent him back to Lupercus.

"On second thought," Kagome smirked. "I've conquered all of your challenges. Some designed for me to fail." Kagome caught some of the looks, "And don't deny it. So here is my challenge for you. Lucky for you, I only have one. You have 500 years to raise your son right, Sesshomaru."

"How can you say that human? You won't be alive then. Your life is insignificant to that of a demon's!" One of the advisors perked up.

"True, but I've proven I'm not an ordinary human. Live and find out." She told them and then disregarded them once more for Sesshomaru's attention. "Raise him well. If you still want me to bear your heirs, then that can be discussed later." She looked directly into his eyes and placed a hand over her stomach and gently stroked it as if she was comforting a growing child inside of her.

"Know this, my children will never be neglected. If I bear you heirs, he will be mine too." She pointed to the demon child who was shaking in delight as Lupercus interpreted what was being said.

Kagome made her way dangerously close to the demon lord. "I do hope you succeed. A repeat of the last test would be fun. I would even let you win." She was now looking at him up close. Lust was evident in both of their faces. "Please don't let me down."

She reached out and lightly thumbed the markings on his cheeks. Before anyone could react she was already on her way back to her pack. "Remember one thing; Make sure you are off the island August 6th 1945. If you aren't off the island of Japan then I can't guarantee you'll survive long enough to see me again." She told them casually and waved them off, but they understood her grave warning.

Shippo jumped back into her arms when she reached them and the group made their way back to Kaede's to regroup with her friends; followed by a future trip home to restock and catch up.

Later that night, they were camped by a fire, halfway between the demon compound and Kaede's village. Inuyasha was out catching some supper to provide for his mate and pack, Shippo was off to get some more firewood, leaving Kikyo and Kagome alone with their thoughts.

"Would you mate him?" Kikyo's voice broke through the silence.

"Huh?" Kagome asked startled from her thoughts.

"If you and he manage to make it to your time, would you mate him?" She asked again.

"In a heartbeat." She told her without any hesitation.

"Then why did you not do so now?" Kikyo asked saddened by the melancholy her reincarnation was feeling.

"We both know now is not my time. If Naraku doesn't kill me, then I'll probably be sent back to my time. It's unfair of me to leave a mate and child to struggle and survive 500 years, when for me, it's just a blink of an eye. If I die in this era, my only regret would be I didn't ride that demon until I passed out." Kagome sat back and watched the stars that were slowly coming out.

"How was he?" Kikyo poked the fire and avoided Kagome's expression.

"I wouldn't know. All I really did was give him a blowjob. And keep that a secret from Inuyasha! What's with me and only giving blowjobs to dog demons? Sheesh, maybe I'm meant to be a virgin forever." Kagome leaned back on her forearms and sighed.

"Then we will have to make sure you are alive and able to make it back to your time." Kikyo smiled as she promised Kagome.

"Deal." Kagome nodded her head in agreement.

"Besides you have to feel what their tongues can do." Kikyo half moaned as she said it. Kagome laughed so hard her arms collapsed under her as she remembered all too well the feeling his tongue had.

"Trust me I know." Kagome's reply was breathy.

Silence once again filled the camp. Inuyasha returned not too much later. He sniffed the air and snorted. "What the hell you bitches talking about?"

Without missing a beat Kagome piped up, "Just comparing you and Sesshomaru."

Kagome and Kikyo looked at each other then started to laugh. Inuyasha made a comment no one heard from all the laughing, but this made the girls laugh even harder.

After everyone was asleep, Kagome was still awake and pondering her future. She somehow knew she would live to see the future. She just hoped Sesshomaru kept up his part of the test. Or at the very least, he would still be alive. What she told Kikyo was the truth. She would die with the one regret she didn't ride the dog like a horse or was it cowboy? She wasn't too familiar with that American slang.

Until then, she would have some interesting dreams, she was sure. At least now they wouldn't be about her and Inuaysha. And she was somehow okay with that. If worse came to worse, she would be just fine. Nothing time couldn't heal.

She closed her eyes and snuggled up close to Shippo. She was going to be just fine after all.

* * *

 **Fin.**

A/N: And that, my friends, is the end of this journey. I do hope you've enjoyed this. If you think this is incomplete, then you are more than welcome to write on, you have my permission and my blessing. Just be sure to send me a note saying you've continued so I can read it. 'My' story ends here.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review if you've loved/hated it. Who would have known that one article in a magazine could start this inferno?! The love of reading and a healthy imagination…


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